


the apple to my pie

by Rosyredlipstick



Series: AU Solangelo Fic [19]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, M/M, nico makes pies and is a dork, pie maker au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2018-10-18 07:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10612314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosyredlipstick/pseuds/Rosyredlipstick
Summary: They weren't always a 24-hour pie diner.There were few factors that had led to this present 24-hour fact, events that had been placed in motion and happened that were now long over, but the aftermath remained.And the aftermath made these three facts -Nico di Angelo now owns a 24\7 pie diner on the corner of Main and Keystone.Nico di Angelo has several loyal employees who help run said pie diner. And one unloyal. (Leo always swears he's going to defect and franchise a Denny's across the street which - disgusting)And the last -Will Solace is a midnight customer, and this might all be because of him.





	1. blueberry with lemon and orange

They weren't always a 24 hour pie diner.

There were few factors that had led to this present 24 hour fact, events that had been placed in motion and happened that were now long over, but the aftermath remained.

Nico had stayed late - one of his experimental pies had burnt and he was _this_ close to perfecting the recipe - and Piper had forgotten to switch off the sign. She was covering Leo’s night shift, who was already used to the routine, and she had completely forgotten that was on her to-do list, and was honestly just a bit excited to get home. After all, she was used to her morning shifts where customers mainly demanded coffee on coffee on coffee, where she served mostly eggs and bacon, and the lack of routine messed up her whole thought process, so she’d claim. Nonetheless, when she pulled out of the parking lot that night the brightly lit ‘ _Open_ ’ sign was still glowing scarlet, the door was still unlocked, and for all other facts and purposes, the pie shop was very still open.

Maybe if Nico hadn't burned that first pie, or Piper had realized her mistake, or if Leo hadn't called off at all, they would still be a normal hour pie place.

But that night, as their illuminated sign only grew warmer and continued to light up the dark air, a blonde man was just getting off his eighteen hour shift. This was about the time his absolute need for food was beginning to overcome his absolute need for sleep, and he was pulling over to the side of the road for an open diner he'd never noticed before.

Despite the sign though, only one other vehicle was parked, a sleek black motorcycle that Will admired for a long moment, and he approached the door with something like hesitation, but with a bit more awkward movement.

The pie maker jumped up at the sharp ring of the bell above the door, his hands hovering over the board that listed tomorrow's specials. A blond man - tall, tan, but obviously very tired, with rumpled clothes and wild, untamed curls - stood in the doorway, his hand lingering on the steel railing.

“Are you open?” Blondie looked around a little wary. He was desperate, sure, but not desperate enough to violate his welcome.

Before Nico could really come up with any good response, something that would have blondie coming back tomorrow at least, the oven screeched with displeasure, and Nico grabbed his hand covers off the counter.

“Um.” Nico glanced back to him, and he couldn’t help noticing how the man’s clothes clung ever so nicely to his defined shoulders, and the blue in his eyes that outshined the red. “Pie?” Nico questioned, hesitating only a bit.

The man smiled, slow and relieved. He stumbled onto one of the booths, and looked like he could barely make it. “Pie sounds fantastic.”

“Anything to drink?” He called over his shoulder, peeking back to watch as he slid in the booth

“Coffee, if you have it made.” He responded, rubbing at his eyes.

They didn’t, but Nico put on a pot anyways. It would only take a few minutes anyhow, and Nico wouldn't mind a cup either. He let the pie cool a bit - not wanting to risk crumbling the soft crust - and plated it à la mode with a scoop of vanilla. He made his own plate, taking a seat at the counter a few feet from the stranger.

“Blueberry crème with lemon and orange.” Nico bit into it slowly, enjoying the soft crack of the crust as he did so. He glanced up, and even from where he was standing, he could tell how hungry Blondie was.

“Long day?” Nico took another bite, examining the taste slowly. The blueberry mixed nicely with the lemon, and the sweet crème balanced out the zest of the orange. It wasn't as sweet as he'd like, but if served with a neutral beverage, it shouldn't be too bad.

Blondie only groaned, taking a long drink of his coffee, and Nico briefly wondered how he managed to do so with such scalding liquid, straight out of the pot.

“This pie is delicious.” The man groaned out, and Nico had to hide his quickly reddening cheeks. He was used to compliments on his pie, would usually just smile with a quick thanks, but he was definitely _not_ used to the way Blondie was groaning. Who the fuck groaned when they ate pie anyways? Like, really. 

“My mom used to always make apple pie for Christmas.” The guy smiled at that, all sweet and gooey like Nico's infamous mud and fudge pie, and Nico briefly wondered how to keep that smile there forever. Talking about his mother, sure, but that would _probably_ ruin the mood for certain situations. And from the looks of Blondie's tan arms - exposed under the soft colored cut of his scrubs - Nico was _very_ interested into those certain situations. 

“Can’t go wrong with apple pie.” Nico gave him a half smile. 

“That you can’t.” Blondie took out a hand and wiped it on a napkin before holding it out. “Will Solace, nice to meet you. Thanks for this, it’s –“ He took a deep breath, inhaling the combined scent of the coffee and fresh pie. “It’s incredible.”

Nico ducked his head at the compliment, a rare blush crawling up his neck. “Nico di Angelo. Owner.”

“You own this place?” Will grinned suddenly at that, looking ecstatic. “That’s so _cool!”_

Nico cocked his head. “What do you do? What are you doing running around so late?”

Will groaned at that, his head falling onto the counter. Doing this, he still managed to sneak another bite of pie as he spoke. “I work in the ER at the Apollo hospital downtown.”

“The one ten minutes down the road?” Nico nodded, “I’ve been there. One of my workers has the tendency to set everything on fire, resulting in multiple burns on him and my restaurant.” Nico made a face, “We’re frequent visitors.”

Will barked out a laugh, “You guys need to be more careful.” He told him, his voice teasing.

Nico shrugged, humor in the movement. “There’s a few reasons I chose this location. Close proximity to the hospital is only one of them.”

Will gave him a weak laugh, taking another long drink of his coffee. “I’ve never seen this place before.” He told him, glancing around, “I drive this route home every day, that’s so weird.”

“It’s because we’re closed.” Nico informed him, cracking a smile at the horror on Will’s face. “I stayed late to work on a recipe.”

“How long ago did you close?” Will asked, probably trying to rectify the situation. Nico didn’t mind. The company was nice, and the view was even better.

Nico pointed to one of the menus tucked away in the stand, the hours listed in gold on the cover. “Not that long ago. Piper worked the nightshift and must have forgotten to close up.”

“Bianca’s.” Will read off the menu slowly with a smile, and Nico’s stomach dropped a bit. “Who’s Bianca?”

Sure, Nico had prepared for this question - it was asked by nearly every patron who had ever stepped foot into the building, and it was easy to deflect at this point. Of course, there were people who always asked too many questions, and Nico was never much of a liar, so it happened occasionally.

He gave Will a half shoulder shrug, and hoped he wouldn’t pursue the topic. “My sister.”

Will grinned at that, “That’s cute. Does she work here too?”

Nico bit his lip, turning to face the counter and, more importantly, to hide his face. He grabbed a cloth, rubbing out some invisible mess. “Uh, no actually. She died a few years ago.”

There was a beat of silence - there always was - before Will spoke again. “Oh. I’m, um, sorry. For bringing it up.”

Nico shrugged, giving the other boy an apologetic look. “It happens. Anyways, it seemed fitting.” He gestured towards the counter, “She taught me how to bake, ya know? Seemed fitting.”

Will gave him a small smile, “It does. Seem fitting, I mean." He took another bite of his pie, nearly finished now. "Did she teach you how to bake pies, too?" 

Nico nodded, "She and my mom did, yeah. But Bianca was more into the cooking side of things, I was always more of the baker." Nico cracked a grin, "When we'd do dinner, she'd always cook the entree and I'd handle dessert. It was a good balance, and our father was always happy to taste test." 

Will snorted, "I'd be too." The other boy yawned, already reaching for his coffee cup as he spoke. "How long have you been open?"

Nico took a bite of his own pie before answering. The taste was good, a bit too much lemon if he was being honest, but workable. He'd have to try it again tomorrow, maybe with some of the fresh fruit Piper always got Sunday mornings from the farmers market. 

"Bout a year now." Nico finally answered, already thinking over the few pies he was planning for tomorrow. "Business gets a bit slow sometimes, but it's been for us so far." 

Will nodded at that, looking pleased as he finished off the last bite of his food. He blinked a few times, as if suddenly realizing he had finished his food, before pulling his nearly drained coffee cup towards himself. 

Nico pushed the rest of his pie to the side - he hardly ever finished a piece of his own food - and turned to dunk behind the counter. He grabbed one of their styrofoam to-go cups, giving him a look. "You look like you're ten minutes from passing out." He observed, pumping a few shots of espresso into the cup before dumping the coffee and milk in. He snapped on one of the lips, sliding it over the counter with a strict look. "Drink." 

Will gave him a grateful look, saluting him with the cup. "You're doing good work here, sir." 

Nico rolled his eyes, clearing their plates so he could brush off the few crumbs gathered there. Piper would kill him if she opened the shop tomorrow and he'd left a mess, he knew from experience.

He had to suppress a shudder. That hadn't been fun for _anyone._  

He threw the dishes in the sink - he still had a bit of cleaning up to do in the back as well - before wandering back up to the front. Will was nice to look at, sure, but it  _probably_ wasn't smart to leave a midnight-stranger alone in your unlocked restaurant. Like, common sense right?

Almost disappointingly, Will wasn't doing anything of the robber-sort, only looking determined to drain his newly gifted coffee. Damn. It was almost mid-way empty. 

Will rubbed at his eyes, keeping his mouth on the edge of his cup (not that....Nico was looking at his mouth  _or anything)_ and gave Nico a sleepy wave as he slowly, but surely, began to slide off his seat. He stood, stretching out his arms, and winced briefly at the few pops at erupted. The tight grip on his coffee cup never ceased, not that Nico was surprised at his point. "I should get going, I've got work tomorrow. How much -?" 

Nico waved him off, "It's fine." He said, surprising himself a bit. "The register's locked up already, don't worry about." Which, yeah, was kinda true - but Nico always kept a bit of cash, nothing much, under the counter for emergencies. Which, this wasn't one. So. 

Will gave him a suspicious look, already reaching for his wallet. "I don't need change, here -" 

Nico took a step back, a rare teasing look on his face. "Save it, William." Nico hesitated for a second, “How about you just come back? We could always use another regular. And maybe when we’re actually _open_ this time.”

A soft brush of color passed over the other boy’s cheeks, and he grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, uh.” He rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. “I totally will. The pie was great. I'm usually working during the day so it might be awhile, but yeah. Definitely.”

Nico nodded, already kind of knowing that his pies were great but hey, it was always nice to hear. "See ya later, Will. Flip the sign off on your way out, will you?" Nico gave him a small teasing grin, "Wouldn't want anyone wandering in here, would we?" 

Will colored again, and causing that was quickly becoming one of Nico's favorite activities. "You wouldn't want that." He agreed after a moment, a small laugh slipping out in between his words. "I'll see you later. Maybe try some other pie?" 

"It _is_ a pie shop." Nico waved him off. "I'd be disappointed if they didn't have more then one kind of pie." 

Will huffed out a laugh, reaching over to flip off the sign - just as Nico asked - before closing the door behind him. He waved at Nico through the glass, his lips pulled up into a wide smile, and 

Nico lingered for a moment, half wondering if the other boy would ever return, and got to work.

He locked the door behind the other boy, peeking out the window for a second longer then necessary as he watched the blonde climb into his car, the to-go coffee cup still safely clenched in his hand. Nico turned back to his store, always edging on creepy when it was empty and late at night - not that Nico minded - and began working through his latest plan.

Will worked during the day, yeah? 

Nico had always considered going 24\7. 

Yeah...Piper was going to be pissed. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen i have no excuse for this cotton candy fluff except im stressed and needed to write something about these two dorks  
> also i've been listening to a lot of waitress so  
> this will probably be a multi-chapter piece and yeah, i know what you're thinking, "Rosy. Girl. do you REALLY need another WIP? Don't you have, like, at least four other things you should be working on?"  
> and answer to both of those is: yes.  
> so here we goooooooooo  
> cooking pun bc why not: "a lawyer-turned-cook is a sue chef"  
> lol i laughed  
> follow me on rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com for weird 2am rants and random prompts


	2. strawberry apple crumble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rina told me if i finished one of my wips she'd write me a kung fu panda fic and. dear god.  
> so here's chapter 2.  
> also, in case it doesn't come across, this is a time jump to like, current day in the fic. chap 1 was a flashback of sorts to their first meeting.

Of course.

Of _course._

All he wanted was an easy Monday. Was that truly too much to ask?

Apparently.

Nico raised an unimpressed eyebrow as he dropped the plate on the counter - he had taken over Piper’s order when he saw who had walked through the door and the girl made no move to counter against it. She was probably in the back now, most likely challenging Leo to some kind of contest that would only end in exasperated sighs and overdramatic tears. Hopefully, Katie, their other waitress on shift, would keep them from too much trouble. He could only hope and pray. 

Nico crossed his arms in mostly false defiance as the glass plate continued to wobble before settling on the wood. “What do you want.”

“I am simply here to check in on how my youngest son is running his first business, that is all,” Hades replied with as much dignity as he could muster, his nose a bit in the air despite his rare messy hair and melting snow on his shoulders. The winter winds outside must have gotten to him. Nico had to hide his satisfaction - he knew from experience how Hades only went defensive when he was wrong about something.

“The youngest son you _know_ about.” Nico pointed out, “And we both know you're only here to poke your nose into my personal life and eat my pie.”

“And there you’re wrong, my son.” Hades pulled the plate towards him, his fork at the ready as he began to dig in. “I'm _also_ here for the doughnuts and churros.”

Nico whipped his damp dishtowel at him, mostly teasing. He didn’t actually care much at all when the older man insisted on dipping out of work so often to swing by the shop, although it was fun to tease. After all, he had started packing up Hades’s regular to-order when he heard the older man loudly greet the staff once he walked in. 

Hades began looking through the plastic menu, as well as giving a few interested glances up to read through this week’s pie board. Nico already knew what he was looking for.

“And what is the monthly special?” Hades asked, his voice innocent. He was looking over the board - written in Hazel’s loopy, art major handwriting, of course - still deciding.

“Reyna’s chocolate _Pave_.” Nico felt a bubble of satisfaction at the sharpening of his father’s eyes, “She makes them special near Christmas. But as you already said you’re not here for the food - “

“I would like a sample.” Hades’s voice was hard, as if Nico were going to challenge him. “I...believe a sample is in order, that is all.”

Nico bit his cheek, holding back his low laughter. He fetched the paper bag he had packed before, a square of Reyna's dessert already sealed away, the inked icon on the side done by Hazel’s own skilled hand. “A sample, as well as your usual.”

“Leo's churros and Piper’s doughnuts, and - oh, Reyna’s flan, oh gods. That girl was blessed.” Hades cracked open the bag to inhale the scent, his eyes fluttering shut. Nico was a bit pleased at that look - it graced nearly every customer's face at one point.

“She makes a mean tres leches cake. Best in the city, easy. We always have orders months in advance around the holidays.” Nico was proud of that. Managing to sign Reyna onto his small pie and dessert diner was one of his bigger accomplishments. It probably had more to do with their long friendship, but he wouldn’t have blamed her if she would have gone deeper in the city with her talent.

Apparently not willing to wait, Hades cracked open the bag and began digging around among the wax paper and powdered sugar. He’d have to box up a few other samples for Persephone if he continued on like this.

“Will she be coming along for Christmas?” Hades asked, tearing a bit of still warm churro to toss in his mouth. Nico frowned at the bit of sugar left behind on his counter and whipped it off, nodding at Hades’ question.

“She and the usuals.” He told his father, referring to Leo, Jason, and Piper who usually tagged along for their holidays. Reyna and Leo didn’t have much family to spend the holidays with, and Jason and Piper’s fathers were infamously busy year round and this only resulted in a near-packed dining room, along with too much good food Jason was forbidden from helping create. But Hades and his wife never seemed to mind the increased people or food.

That _might_ have to do more with their pie competition though.

The pie competition, known with hushed whispers and quiet tension, was scarcely spoken about in their friend group, much less in his own very restaurant.

Nico hadn’t won in two years, beat out by Piper and Reyna respectfully, and he was determined.

Hades watched the expression shift on his son’s face with a smirk. “Thinking about the competition?” He gave him a sharp grin at Nico’s expression as he continued. “Well, Persephone and I are always glad to judge.” He patted his stomach happily at that, probably already dreaming about the several warm pies due in his immediate future. “Have you figured out your recipe yet?”

Nico groaned, his head dropping down into his folded arms. “I have no idea. Absolutely none.” Last year he had his recipe - a fresh mint and chocolate frozen delight - picked out by September. Now, a few years out from the day in question, he had yet to come up with anything.

He was screwed. He was absolutely guaranteed a failure.

The bell above the door rang out, interrupting his pie-based misery, and Nico didn’t even have to glance up to recognize the low sigh that accompanied the customer. He smiled, low and hidden and more than a bit surprised, as he turned to face the front. Had he been paying attention, perhaps he would have spotted the surprised look on his father’s face as he watched the shift in his son’s face. Hades spun to face their new customer, but Nico paid it no attention.

Leo was already bee-lining towards Will, who was already tiredly sprawled out into the nearest booth, a menu sticking to his cheek. Leo made a face, poking Will’s face with his pencil, and looked close to actually doodling on the other boy. Knowing the other boy, he most likely would.

Nico sighed, more amused than anything, and threw the rag over his shoulder. “I’ve got this one, Valdez.” He glanced towards his father, who was examining the nearest menu with a forced nonchalance, and nodded his head towards the front. ”I’ll be right back.” He tightened his apron and ducked around the counter.

Leo gave him a curious look as he approached. “Oh, you do?” He grinned widely, his voice the sound of interest. That was never good. Nico could already imagine the midnight phone call he was going to get from Jason once he found out.

Nico waved him off, relieved when Leo at least abided smoothly. He was probably eager to go tinker around with the mess he had set up in Nico’s backroom, all tools and broken pieces he found at the scrap yard. Nico usually let him do whatever he wanted, as it occasionally resulted in his machines baking food at twice speed. Other times, it resulted in Nico giving the fire department free pie to smooth over tensions. Hopefully, this would one of the lucky times.

As he approached the table, Nico cracked a smile at the other boy’s slack face as he rested on the table.

Eh. Nico never claimed himself to be nice.

He dropped a thick stack of menus on the table, barely an inch of from Will’s face, that landed with a thick, full sounding _thud._ Will jerked up in surprise, his curls a frizzy mess, and his wild eyes alarmed for a moment before landing on Nico.

“Oh,” Will wiped at his eyes, “it’s you. Hi.”

“Back again so soon?” Nico gave him a small smile, leaning against the side of the booth. Will had just been here last night, after all. There was usually a few days in between in visits, and he'd never come in when the sun was actually out. “I thought you worked during the day?" 

“Yeah, I - uh -” Will’s words were interrupted by a loud yawn, “I usually do. But this one girl asked to switch shifts and anyways, I could use the hours.”

Nico whistled under his breath, “Sounds like you, more than most people, need a slice of pie.”

Will gave him a lazy smile, “You read my mind. Do you have any more of that maple pecan?”

Nico had to roll his eyes at Will’s accent, _It’s pea-con, William, not pee-can,_ but had to shake his head in apology.

“We ran out earlier,” Nico made a mental note to have a pie ready next time Will was ready to drop in. He really hadn’t expected the other man so early in the day. He nudged the menu closer, “We’ve got some other afternoon specials.”

Will looked to the stack of menus, only shaking his head after a long staredown. “Surprise me?”

Nico gave him a look, “Are you sure you trust me? What if I give you one of Leo’s hot sauce pies? He puts a whole bottle of that stuff in there, you know.”

Will’s face was painted in horror, “What? _Hot sauce?”_

“They’re breakfast pies,” Nico dismissed, “doesn’t mean they’re any less spicy, though.”

“Somehow I trust you,” Will only replied dryly, returning to heavy leaning on his propped up arm.

“Remember that as your first mistake,” Still, he filled out Will’s ticket and turned with a small smile. Despite his teasing, he’d probably end up plating one of the tamer pies that he knew would be more to Will’s liking. After a quick glance to the menu board, he headed behind the counter to the glass display case. Piper and Leo, he noticed, were, of course, watching him through the door with twin amused expressions. Gods. They had probably already told the entire groupchat. Maybe he should turn off his phone for the time being.

Nico plated one of the newer pies for Will’s plate as he thought through his favorite methods of avoiding conversations and glancing up at his father as he faced the front of the shop. “Do you need anything while I’m back here?” Nico asked, balancing the plate to take the coffee pot in his free hand. Will hadn’t asked for a cup but from his red, drooping eyes, he most definitely needed one.

Instead of one of his usual, brisk requests, Hades eyed him with barely hidden glee. “I’ve got _everything_ I need right here.”

Nico gave him an odd look, “Um. Okay? So no more coffee?”

Hades pushed his cup closer to the edge of the counter, “If you insist.” He tossed it back right after Nico filled it up and stood, looking much too gleeful for a simple lunch visit.

“I have to go,” Hades was nearly breathless, even as he clenched his paper bag closer to him. “Give the others my love.”

Nico would not. He refused to. Although Jason would, no doubt, pass on the message, Nico wanted nothing to do with it.

Still, he exchanged his own brief goodbyes with his father before the other man left. As Hades was making his leave, he paused.

Hades gave him a sharp smile over his shoulder, “Persephone and I are always welcoming towards more guests during the holidays, as you know.”

Nico cocked his head to the side, “What? Who else do you want me to invite?” Nico had already shoved most of his friend group into their holidays, and who knows who Hazel was planning on dragging along. What else could Hades want? 

Hades shook his head, already halfway out the door, the paper bag hanging from his fingers. “Goodbye, son! See you soon!”

Nico waved him off, a bit confused at his abrupt leave, but let it go. Maybe he’d ask Persephone about it later, she was always commenting that he should call home more often. He turned back to Will, who watched the exchange with interested eyes.

“Who was that?” Will looked towards the entrance again as if to track Hades’s movements. Nico set the plate down and flipped over Will’s cup to fill it.

Nico gave him a half shrug as he poured. After only a few moments following Nico filling the cup, it was cradled in Will’s hands. “That was my dad.”

Will laughed, a bit more alive with a cup of coffee in his hands. “He seemed cool. Does he come by often?”

“Too often,” Nico rolled his eyes, fond nonetheless. “He came by this time to steal some food and talk holiday plans. And...the competition.”

“Oh?” Will made a noise of interest, taking his first bite of pie. There was a pause as he took in the flavor - it was one of their classics, a strawberry apple crumble - and Nico felt his chest warm. Will gave him a surprised look, nearly the same from their first meeting, and blinked back at him once, twice. “This is amazing. Oh my god.”

Nico cracked a grin, “Thanks. It’s one of our top selling.”

Will nodded like that was completely understandable. After another bite, chewing slowly as if to savor it, he made a gesture for Nico to continue. “The competition?” He prompted.

Nico sighed, falling into the booth across from Will. He could almost _hear_ Leo’s high pitch sound of excitement. They better be tending to their tables instead of just watching him in glee. Katie, who had no interest in his love life and was currently watching the tables like the good worker she was, would probably be winning employee of the week once again.

“The competition,” He groaned out instead, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. “My friends and I have this pie baking challenge every Christmas. It gets...competitive.”

Will let out a small laugh, looking amused. “How so? Are you guys like, fighting over who wins?” He paused at that, “What does the winner get anyways? Bragging rights?”  

That, of course, and -

“The winner gets their pie put on the menu here.“ Nico took a few steps back to gesture to the chalkboard overhead, where last year’s _Reyna’s Mojito Key Lime_ was proudly advertised. “And they get to choose whatever charity that pies earnings go to.” He spun the little jar around to show Will the advertised charity – Grace After Fire, a woman’s veteran charity that Reyna volunteered at. The jar was nearly filled to the brim with tips, and that wasn’t even counting the numerous slips put aside after every order.

He was still a bit bitter at the loss, but he couldn’t fault the recipe. He’s seen god in a slice of pie, and Reyna was grinning at him as he ate it.

Will hummed as he processed all the information and took a sip of his coffee. “So you definitely want to win?”

“Of course,” He sighed, “it’s been two years, and _I’m_ the one who owns a pie shop. If anything, their teasing alone is unbearable.”

“That is quite embarrassing,” Will told him through a mouthful of pie, not even a little ashamed. “What are you planning on this year?”

There was a long beat of silence. Maybe the other man couldn't feel how embarrassed it was. 

“You...do know what you’re doing this year, right?” Will’s look of skepticism turned to mild panic as Nico shrugged. “Christmas is in three weeks!”

“I’m aware,” Nico sighed, “it’s just - nothing _feels_ right.”

“It’s pie,” Will made a face, “how can it feel right?”

Reyna would understand. “It’s just,” Nico ran a hand through his hair, “nothing I’m seeing or making feels like it would win. Or feels great enough to show off. I’m in a total slump.”

Will gave him a sympathetic look as Nico rubbed his hand back over his face. “If it helps, every pie I’ve had here has been great.” He downed the last of his coffee, saving the last bite of pie for last like he always did. Nico didn’t even know it was possible to find another person’s eating habits cute, and yet here he was.

Will’s phone chimed with a low alarm and, almost instantly, Will’s face shuttered into one of misery.

“That’s my alarm to go,” Will popped the last bite in, chewing slowly, his eyes fluttering shut. “God, I would live here if I could.”

“It’s not that great,” Nico told him with a small smile, standing and going around the counter to grab Will’s ticket and a to-go cup of coffee. At the sight of the latter, Will’s eyes went wide with graciousness.

“Oh gods, _thank you.”_ He breathed out, holding the cup close to his face, sliding his card across the table without any thought. “I _need_ this.”

“Somehow, I could tell.” Nico swiped his card and handed over both with a receipt. “You’ll be back soon?”

“Thursday, probably.” Will wiped at his eyes with his free hand as he stood from the booth. “Back to our normal hours.”

“We’ll probably have some maple pecan by then,” Nico said, even though it was guaranteed if he had anything to say about that. And which, he really totally did. Being his own boss was sure great sometimes, even if all he did was make sure pretty boys had their favorite kind of pie stocked. 

Will made a face of pure pleasure at the thought, “I’m counting down the hours, honest.”

Nico didn’t reply further to that, only waving the other man off as he dipped through the double doors and grabbed the leftover dirty dishes.

Before he entered the kitchen, and therefore the attached backroom, he set his shoulders and took a deep breath. Through the door, he could already hear their loud, excited voices. Here goes nothing.

From the dining area, Katie only shook her head in exasperation. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im going to update & finish this fic asap so I can get rina's fic I promise i won't let it die like last time omfg im so sorry.  
> let me know if you liked it!  
> also why do i always write christmas fic in the summer ???  
> Here's the strawberry apple crumble pie I made this one and DEAR GOD IS IT GOOD.  
> follow me on tumblr at rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com. I just redid two pages and added a banner I'm proud of it.  
> thanks for reading!!! <3


	3. chocolate bourbon tart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> do it for the kung fu panda fic

Nico was peeling a batch of apples and zucchini, thankfully not for the same pie despite Leo’s many ideas, as the Piper and Leo bickered back and forth over as they rolled out pie crusts. Jason was due to get off his shift at the bar any moment and would be by later for a late lunch, as was their routine. He'd usually join in whatever conversation they were having as they worked, but today Nico was getting a bit of rare amusement from occasionally listening in on their conversation.

Their shared Zombie Apocalypse plan was the topic today, it seemed.

“Listen, holing up in a  high school would most definitely be our best bet. They’ve got a bit of stockpiled food, gates around every hallway, and plenty of athletic equipment to turn into last-minute weapons.”

Piper wasn’t still convinced, evidently. “That’d be _way_ too much land to effectively cover and patrol. And schools attract people, way too many people, and your whole plan falls completely apart if they make the high school a recovery center for the sick. And everyone knows medical areas are just zombie-making heaven.” She spoke with such certainty on zombie-related logic, Nico almost envied her. "And even if it wasn't overrun by the second month in, there's no way it would be anything other than a short-term living space. It's _hardly_ a step up from a well-guarded camp."

Leo paused at that, his mouth smoothing out into a thin line. “And what else are you proposing? _Walking Dead_ already disproven your prison theory - overrun way too easy, and it’s not like -”

“Can you _please_ go check on your tables?” Nico near-begged as he interrupted the other man’s words before they could get into it again. It had been - he glanced towards the clock - nearly half an hour since either of them stepped foot out into the dining area. “Katie’s about to go on break and Mitchell can’t hold down the entire store by himself.”

Piper gave him a considering look, “I mean, he _could._ He has before. Remember when Leo set his shirt on fire?”

Leo wrinkled his nose, "You're implying that I did that on purpose and I don't like it." 

Piper rolled her head over to give Leo and obvious look. "You _did_ do it on purpose. You wanted to see how fire-proof your fireproof cooking spray was." 

"I know _that,"_ Leo stuck his nose in the arm, closing his arms despite the flour and paste that clung to his hands. "That doesn't mean you have to _acknowledge_ it." 

“I hate you both,” Nico muttered, taking a new apple. “I never should have hired you. Being friends was bad enough.”

Leo made a sympathetic noise even as he dusted off his hands and went to wash them. “But you did, and now you’re stuck with us. Anyways, no one makes your specials the way we do.”

“That’s the only reason you both still have jobs,” Nico muttered, despite them all hearing the lie in the words. Leo and Piper were just as a part of the foundation of the shop Nico was, especially since Reyna cut down her weekly hours to juggle her schoolwork. Without the help of the other two talented bakers, along with their occasion pitching in as the wait staff, he’d surely be out of business.

They must have known that considering their amused looks and wrinkled noses. Leo dipped out of the kitchen to the front of the school to relieve Katie for her break, thankfully, which left him alone with Piper as she moved the sweetened dough under her skilled fingers.

She gave him a considering look as he continued his work, already knowing what was coming. Maybe she’d been waiting for Leo to step out, or for their prior conversation to die off. Most likely the latter, considering Leo’s love for gossip. She’d most definitely fill the other man in on whatever details later.

“So,” She popped the word as she began to roll out her current batch of dough, a pie tin at the ready. “Are we gonna talk about it?”

“Nope,” He matched the tone of her voice, “not even a little bit.”

Piper hummed at that in a way that told him he wasn’t off the hook, not even a little bit. “You know, Jason, Leo, and I were talking last night -”

“I don’t want to know about your sex life,” He muttered, interrupting her words. Their infamous trio long since confused him, and all he knew at his point was that he didn’t _want_ to know.

“We were talking last night,” She continued, ignoring his poor attempt at derailing the conversation. “And apparently, Jason knew who Leo and I were talking about - Mr. Tall, Blond, and Tired?”

That...was a decent description of Will, if Nico was being honest. He kept his lips sealed together, despite his mental cursing.

Fuck. He _completely_ forgot about Jason. The other man had dropped by the shop once a few weeks ago, late in the night as he got off the graveyard shift but still craving a plate of warm food, and had walked in on one of Will’s visits. Nico hadn’t even got the chance to swear him to secretly before the other man disappeared into the backroom to make up his own takeout box. He should have known better.

Piper still wasn’t letting it go. “So how long has Blondie been coming around?” Her voice was the picture of perfect innocence, but her dancing eyes told another story.

Nico sighed, dropping his last apple and peeler into the metal bowl before turning on her. “Why?”

Piper cocked her head to the side, “Why what?”

It would never be easy with her. _“Why_ do you want to know?”

This tone was just the slightest too rough, but that was never something to deter the other girl. She only thought for a quick moment, her eyes going surprisingly soft, and pulled away from her mess of dough and flour. Wiping her hands on the front of her apron, she gave him a knowing look.

“Despite what you obviously think, we’re your friends,” Piper told him in a frank voice, and Nico could barely hide his wince. “You’re stuck with us if only through pie, a long-ass history together, and Hazel. And, as your friends, we just want to know you’re doing okay, Nico.”

A small seed of guilt planted in his chest, and he looked to the kitchen title. Piper sighed, continuing, “You don’t have to tell us anything,” she started, moving to wash her hands off. “But we just want to keep up with your life outside of the shop and holidays.” Her lips quirked into a small smile, “It breaks Jason’s little heart in half everytime you turn down Game Night, you know. When you said you couldn’t come tonight, I had to go out and get Kleenex and sour patch kids.”

“Game Night is _hell,”_ He couldn’t help but point out, “I can’t even see a deck of Uno cards without war flashbacks. Last week, a kid came in with travel pack of Jenga and I nearly started crying.”

Piper shrugged, probably agreeing. “Annabeth and I _do_ get into it,” She said as if that summed up the demons they became when faced with a monopoly board and stack of fake money. “But Jason’s been trying to keep the waterworks to a minimum recently.”

“That’s good,” Nico had to agree with that choice. He didn’t think he could face Frank’s tears again without one of his few last pieces of good inside him dying a violent death.

Her hands cleaned and dried off, she came up to bump her hip into his. “Jason misses you,” She was laying on the guilt _thick_ this time, “And Leo has no one to bicker with. I've never seen them so desolate, and that includes when _Brooklyn 99_ was canceled for a day.”

He winced. That had been...bad. Leo had never made more miserably named pies. 

Nico finally sighed, wiping off his hands with a damp rag and dropping his head back. “I’ll come to game night,” he finally conceded, mostly just to get the guilt trip to end. “And…” he trailed off, taking a deep breath. “Fine. Three questions. Choose wisely.”

Piper was always one of the best at following his mind when she wanted to. She didn’t even hesitate before asking her first. “What’s his name?”

“Will Solace,” He answered promptly, mentally ticking one of the questions off. Huh. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard.

Piper nodded once before taking a moment to think over her next. “How long have you known Will?”

“A few months,” He answered, rolling his eyes at the look she gave him next. He needed to be more specific, apparently. “He’s been coming in around four, coming on five, months. Usually a few times a month, usually the middle of the night. His visit yesterday was a rare one.”

Hopefully, she wouldn’t connect Will’s late night visits with their still-slightly-new 24-hour shop status. Gods, he would _never_ hear the end of it. Reyna alone, with her perfect eyebrows of judgment, would be the end of him.

She took in all the new information before nodding again and turning on her heel, probably most definitely off to inform Leo of her new knowledge.

“Hey,” Nico called after her, his eyebrows coming together in confusion. “You have one more question.”

She flashed him a quick, sharp grin. “I’m glad you can count. So proud of you.” She didn’t even look fazed at his unimpressed look. “You didn’t say I had to take all three now, did you?”

Fuck. He didn’t. Gods, why did she always have to find a loophole?

He sighed, waving her off as she turned through the double doors and disappeared. He looked back at her station and - great. She’d rolled out all the dough but hadn’t bothered to tuck it in any of the waiting pie tins. If tucking the dough in wasn’t one of his favorite parts, he’d definitely be annoyed right now.

As it was, he only moved to wash his hands and dig them into the thin layers of dough. Tonight would be...interesting, at least. 

* * *

“Nico!” Jason beamed in amazement at the sight of him in the doorway, despite Nico telling the other man of his attendance earlier that afternoon. “You came!”

“I did,” Nico agreed dryly, peeling off his winter coat to hang on one of the hooks, balancing a bottle of wine in his hands as he did so. “Almost like I told you I would.”

Jason ignored his words, clapping his hands together. “I just, you said you were busy so I wasn’t sure!”

Nico shrugged, handing over the bottle to Jason’s waiting hands. It was horribly cheap and sweet stuff, a rosé, but the flavor also happened to be Leo’s favorite. Not that Nico would ever admit to getting it on purpose for that fact. “Mitchell’s closing tonight, and as long as he keeps the Stoll Brothers away from the ovens and doesn’t burn the place down, everything should be fine.”

Jason gave him a knowing grin as he set the bottle aside, joining a few other beverages set out on the bar, and brought a few other dishes over to the counter. Piper and Leo were rushing in and out of the attached dining and living room, setting up board game boxes and laying out finger foods, understandable considering Nico had arrived slightly early. Eh, it was to be expected at this point.

Jason put a bowl of chips down on the table, joining the other snack foods spread out where the food would be served. Nico gave him an amused look.

“You didn’t know I was coming, huh?” Nico plucked a chip out of the bowl - dill pickle chips, infamously detested among their friend group except for Nico himself. He had never seen more respect, awe, and disgust on their faces than when Leo challenged to eat an entire bag in two minutes.

Their expressions alone had been worth it, even if Nico had to avoid the chips for the following months after the act.

Jason only gave him a look, “We _always_ have your chips. It’s not my fault you hardly peel yourself away from that shop to come enjoy them.”

A small bubble of warmth grew in his chest. Still, he had to roll his eyes with good nature. “Maybe that’ll be my incentive from now on.”

Jason looked like he had a few more choice comments for that but was interrupted by a toll of his doorbell. More guests. Nico waved the other man off to do his thing - it was probably one of the girls, Reyna if he was lucky, who would be sure to arrive on time.

Piper was just finishing up the food spread, adjusting a few dishes to make room for the final one. It seemed Piper had made a chocolate bourbon tart for the evening, one that Nico was automatically eyeing from the moment he saw it. God. He loved her tarts.

“It’s for after the first game,” She said after catching his lingering gaze. Her grin turned sharp, “Winner of the first round gets the first piece.”

“You mean, _I’ll_ be getting the first piece,” Annabeth grinned as she entered the doorway, her coat already off, a pot and serving spoon in her hands. At their attention, she held up the pot for them all to see. “Also..." She gave them all a wide, knowing grin. "Percy made his pozole.”

There was a long, lingering stretch of silence. Not a single one of them dared to move. 

Leo was the first one to speak up, nearly frozen with his wide eyes and still hands. “Did he...did he use Sally’s recipe?”

Annabeth gave him an obvious look, “Of _course_. _And_ he’s grabbing the homemade tortillas right now.”

Almost instantly, a round of satisfied groans started up, Nico himself included. He’d die for that pozole, and even more for some of those warm, buttered tortillas.

“I’m ready to die a happy man,” Leo proclaimed, his hand on his chest as he leaned heavily into Jason’s chest. “Jason, my love, you’ll mourn me, won’t you?”

Jason’s arms rounded around Leo’s waist, his face automatically tucked into Leo's neck. “Severely.”

“That’s so romantic,” Leo, strangely, acted as if it was, “The entire customary mourning period and everything?”

At that, Jason wrinkled his nose as he pulled away slightly in question, “How long is that?”

“Two years,” Piper, surprisingly, spoke up as she grinned at them and took the warmed pot from Annabeth’s hands. “Although, you can’t enter society for at least until 12 months after. Good luck with that, hun.”

Jason, of course, went starry-eyed as he always did when Leo and Piper sprouted off some fact. “How do you know that?”

“Piper took etiquette classes for two summers, remember babe?” Leo spoke up from under Jason’s arm as Piper went to drop off the pot on the table. At his words, he shot Nico a wide, knowing grin. “It’s where Pipes and our beloved Neeks met. Their origin story, if you will.”

“Hades never did manage to turn me into a gentleman,” Nico contemplated with a small grin, “I’m sure it keeps him up at night.”

“I can guarantee it does,” Jason responded dryly, breaking apart from Leo - the other man only giving a faint whine - and moving to start pouring drinks at the bar area.

“At least he’s got one son who knows his manners,” Nico responded in turn as Jason passed over a chilled glass of wine. At his words, of course, Jason only responded in a blinding beam. Jason would definitely be telling Hades of that in his daily phone call tomorrow morning. 

Piper only gave them both a fond look as she disappeared towards the doorway, more people arriving by the minute. First Percy, with a large grin and a warmed clay container wrapped with a dishtowel, and next was Hazel and Frank, who both grinned at him in surprise and gave him matching tight hugs, along with -

“Reyna,” Nico let out a breath and immediately dropped his head onto her shoulder, “you’re _finally_ here.”

She gave him a dry look, but allowed the action nonetheless. “The party began at seven,” she observed, “It is seven-fifteen. I don’t believe the observation of me ‘finally’ being here is necessary.”

Ah, she was fucking with him. She knew he always arrived at these kinds of things much too early.

He lightly shoved her, a small smile in place. She had already dropped off her dish - some pasteles, most likely, as that was her favorite to bring to events like these - and had no reservations about leaning against the wall with him and watching the events unfold.

There were the customary first few minutes of socialization, which Nico managed to get away with just catching up with Reyna despite seeing her only a few days prior, and it wasn’t long before all the initial action tamed down and the real evening started.

Annabeth was already rolling up her sleeves and stretching her forearms, as if the action was needed for a lowkey Game Night in. Following her lead, with full plates and wine glasses, they all took a seat around the table. He and Reyna shared a long look of understanding, taking their seats next to the other. On his other side, Leo was shaking with near glee.

Piper surveyed them all with a critical eye, her gaze hard and expectant. They all held their breath.

“Our first game is -” She threw a small package on the wood between them all, all of them tensing up and flinching away from the box.

No.

No - she wouldn’t. She _couldn’t._

“Uno,” She declared, the picture of grace as if she just hadn’t broken several of their minds. She was the perfect image of composed, her hands behind her back, her back straight, her lips quirked just so.

If Piper McLean were to burn the world to ash, this would be the stance she would take as she watched it ignite.

“No,” he breathed out, meeting the horror-filled gazes of the others. Frank already looked close to crying. Nico felt like he was too.

“Oh, yes.” Piper gave him a small smile as she took her seat, and Annabeth was frozen with fear and maybe adrenaline. Piper only gave them all a perfect pleasant expression as she took the cards from the package and began to shuffle. They had bought several packages over the years, mostly due to the size of their friend group, but this was the only one that had survived thus far. If he focused, he thought he could still smell the smoke in the air from the last deck. “Who wants to go first?”

Gods help them. Nico was never coming to another Game Night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter wasn't supposed to exist but im a bitch for bonding and friendship let me know if you enjoyed this chapter! I might include some more friendship/bonding if people are fans of it <3  
> i added another chapter because im honestly unsure how long this is gonna be but i've written the ending i just dont know how to get there  
> my family is also intensely serious and competitive over uno. god. the FIGHTS that have emerged from that damn rainbow deck of cards. jfc. it's banned at christmas because one year my cousin got so upset he accidentally upended the dish of green beans onto the table.  
> also some people have mentioned that they like the way i write leo and !!!!???? thank you so much??? I didn't realize I was doing anything special, I just wrote him the way I wanted him to turn out (more confidence, sure in his healthy relationships, still a huge flirt and joker) and im so happy some of y'all enjoy it??? thank you all so much!!! <3  
> follow me at rosyredlipstick.tumbr.com for rants about my oc and other fic content!! <3


	4. chocolate eggnog swirl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there was a considerably large lack of will in the last chapter so here ya go!!! also i love family

“Okay,” Nico dropped the plate in front of Will, his hands immediately coming together. “Tell me what you think, completely honest, no bullshit.” 

Will gave him a look but pulled the plate closer nonetheless. In exchange for being Nico’s taste-tester - with the goal of finding a pie that would be perfect enough for the competition - Nico had promised the other boy an entire maple pecan to-go and Will, whose eyes had gone wide at the offer, was quick to accept. 

“What is this again?” Will cut a forkful off the end, examining it.

“Chocolate Eggnog Swirl,” Nico bit his lip, “I wasn’t sure if I should add rum or not, so I only added half of what I usually put. Can you taste it?” 

Will popped the bite in and shifted the pie in his mouth for a long moment, slowly tasting, before swallowing and thinking. 

Will cocked his head to the side as he thought over his words, “I thought there would be more of a chocolate taste,” He admitted after a moment, “Maybe like, a hot chocolate taste? But I’m hardly getting it. The rum's kind of there though, although mostly as an aftertaste."

Nico nodded, typing out the notes on his phone. “And?” 

“The crust is good,” He commented, breaking it apart with his fork. “But the cream on top starts to soak into it if it sits for too long.”

Crap. That would probably be a problem, as they didn’t serve their slices right away, usually a few hours later actually. 

Nico dropped his shoulders, a frown crossing his face. At his visible disappointment, Will was quick to speak up. “It’s still delicious! Like, I could never make anything like this.” He gave Nico a small smile.

“No, I’m glad you’re being honest.” Nico fell into the booth across from Will, like he always did. “Those are all good critiques. I just still have  _ no idea _ what I’m gonna do for this competition.” 

Will gave him a sympathetic look even as he shoved another bite in, “I guess you’re just gonna lose,” Will could hardly hide the humor in his voice. “Tragic, really. A pie-maker’s downfall being pie itself.” 

“I’m a fraud,” Nico muttered into his folded arms, face down on the table. “God, Leo and Piper are gonna inherit the store when I die, aren’t they?” 

“Oh, I love Piper’s chocolate strawberry pie,” Will looked off into the distance, as if imaging it. “How she hardens the chocolate on top? Gods, I’d die for it. She'd be a great owner, really lead the store in a new direction.”

“Piper’s pie is not a reward for me dying,” Nico complained, even though that pie, in particular, had won more awards than he could count on one hand. It was banned from their holiday contest for that exact reason. “Are you gonna be helpful or are you just gonna eat my food?” 

“If the latter an option?” Will cocked his head to the side while he shoved another bite in. “If so, definitely yes.” 

“I should cut you off,” Nico went back to muttering in his folded arms, “you’ll be sorry when the sugar withdraws kick in.” 

“Leo’ll sneak me something,” Will grinned, probably because it was 100% true. In exchange for a few cheeky questions, it had been revealed that Leo was only oh-so-very happy to give out a few free plates of dessert to their guest of honor. Thank god Leo never worked the night shift or they'd go bankrupt.

Nico didn’t have a comeback to that, so he only continued to groan into the plastic topper of the booth table. Wow. They should definitely clean these more often.  He mentally assigned Leo to the task - he’d have to pay for all those free pieces of pie, after all - and finally lifted his head. Will was already staring at him, a small amused grin in place, his lips wrapped around his fork. 

Gods, Nico was gay. It was so great. 

“The competition is two weeks away,” Nico announced again like Will didn’t know. “Piper’s been bragging all week about what she found, and Reyna went off on a weekend trip to her favorite out of state farmer’s market. And everyone knows that’s where she gets her secret ingredients she doesn’t want us to know about.” 

Will gave him a questioning look, “How would you guys know about her ingredients otherwise? Do you follow her around or something?” 

“We have an arrangement with the staff at the local Whole Foods,” Nico dismissed. Really, it was Piper who had the arrangement - that girl could charm her way into anything - but she usually shared the rare-found information in an effort to maintain equality. Reyna already had such an advantage with her natural, gods given talent, it was only fair. “And even Leo knows what he’s working with! I saw seven bottles of hot sauce in the trash yesterday and I _ know _ he only uses two to make his breakfast specials” 

_ “Seven bottles?”  _ Will nearly looked sick, “How -  _ why -” _

Nico only dropped his head into his hands, ignoring Will’s sputtering. He still seemed to be struggling with the thought of Leo’s special pies. “At this rate, I’m gonna have to go with my backup, and I _know_ it’s not a winning pie.” 

Will was nearly finished with his slice but seemed to be savoring it. That was always good. Even if it wasn't competition worthy, maybe they could add it to the winter rotation. “What’s your backup? Have you ever made it?” 

Nico sighed, standing from the booth and rounding behind the counter. He took the recipe book - his mother’s and sister’s handwriting cramped together on nearly every laminated page - and flipped towards the marked page. Walking over, he dropped it on the table between them and returned to his previous position. 

“Peanut butter walnut mousse, with a graham cracker crust topped with melted chocolate,” Will read off the page, making an impressed look. “That sounds delicious. What's the problem with it?” 

Nico sighed, “I haven’t made it in years. It was one of Bianca’s favorites. But…” He sighed, “I don’t want Hades to choose it simply because it reminds him of her, for one. And two, a mousse pie is kind of…” He thought for the correct word, “unimpressive with us, I guess? This is supposed to like, challenge our skills as bakers. I mean, the second year we did this, Reyna made a  _ Baked Alaska.”  _

Will gave him a look, taking a slow sip of his coffee. “Yes. I know exactly what that is.” 

“It’s not technically a pie,” He told the other man, “and any other time, we’d have her disqualified for not following the rules. But we were all so blown away none of us cared. It’s one of the hardest desserts, and she’s _ mastered  _ it.” He took a breath, still impressed despite everything. It’s basically this giant cake that you cover in ice cream and buttercream, freeze, bake without melting it, and serve. It’s...amazing.” 

“Impressive,” Will conceded, nodding. “So you’re just worried your pie won’t live up to the same level as the others?” 

“Exactly,” Nico lifted his head, giving Will a tired look. “I never usually have this problem, I swear.”

“Maybe you’re burned out,” Will popped the last bite of pie in his mouth, “get it? Burned out? Pies can burn?” 

“Brillant,” Nico told him dryly, standing and taking away Will’s dirty dishes. He’d wash them later, right before Katie came to relieve him for the second graveyard shift. One of the Stoll Brothers usually took the early shift but apparently switched off last minute. Maybe Connor had finally gotten off his ass about Mitchell. 

“You working a lot this week?” Nico asked, making conversation as they went through the motions of paying. “Last week’s snowstorm must have been bad.” 

Will winced, sighing off of the receipt before sighing. Nico set down his promised pie, already wrapped up, which caused him to brighten up a bit more. “Yeah. People love getting injured around the holidays, it seems. Christmas lights injuries alone are keeping the hospital in business.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Nico added, despite the fact that Leo and Piper had already outdone the store before he came down one morning. At least the flickering lights and plastic icicles weren’t _ too _ tacky. With Leo’s taste, Piper must have prevented  _ a lot. _

Will stood, stretching and therefore probably causing a gay panic somewhere in the world, and went towards the door, the brown box cradled carefully in his hands. 

“See you,” Will gave him a warm smile over his shoulder, as soft as their shared words in the dim lighting. The colorful lights hanging over the doorway danced a rainbow over his skin and did nothing to tone down Nico’s pounding heartbeat at the sight. “Good luck with the pie.” 

“Good luck with the patients,” Nico called back, a maybe-smile on his own face. Fuck. Nico had to install worse lighting in here.  _ No one _ looked attractive under fluorescences. At least then he could stop googling symptoms of a heart attack at four in the morning.  

He went through the motions for the rest of his shift, a few late-night drivers, a tired family who only asked for eggs and a mountain of toast, before he was handing over the reins to his relief. He only took the first night shift a few times a week, usually when Will's indicated he would be stopping by, but it always messed up his sleep schedule for the next day. 

“Take care of her,” Nico wiped at his eyes, waving off Katie’s somehow-wide-awake grin as he turned into the backroom. Towards the very back, between the short row of lockers and the small table set up there, was a locked doorway. A turn of a key, up a few sets of stairs and through another locked doorway, he was home. 

But apparently not alone. 

“Finally,” a voice called out just as the door was slamming behind him. Spinning towards the voice, he held out his keys in an almost defensive way, if that was possible. 

Hazel only gave the keys an unimpressed look, “Are you gonna key me or something?” 

Nico sighed, dropping his arm and then the keys at the side table. “What are you doing here? Have you been here all night?” She must have come in through the shop's backdoor and used her key to get in if he didn't see her do so. 

Hazel’s cutting look towards him might have been more impressive had she not promptly yawned half-way through it. He emptied his pockets, toed off his shoes, and joined her small nest of blankets and pillows, the TV momentarily paused. Almost immediately, she attached herself to him. At least she was warm. 

“Frank’s asleep in the bedroom,” She told him, rubbing her face into his shoulder. “I waited up.”

“You say ‘the bedroom’ like it’s not  _ my _ bedroom,” He muttered, his arm coming up around her shoulder. Looks like he was rocking the pull-out tonight. “Why are you both even here anyway?” 

“You were supposed to be off,” Her voice was sleepy but strong. “And today was my last day of class before winter break. We were supposed to hang out, remember? Cookies and Christmas movies?” 

Fuck. Nico had totally forgotten. 

He let out a breath, “Crap. I’m sorry, Hazel -” 

“It’s fine,” She told his shoulder, “really. Frank and I raided your freezer for chicken nuggets and drank the rest of your boxed wine. I kind of figured you forgot when we were coming up and saw you and Will flirting over pie.” 

“We weren’t -” It was a useless protest, even he knew that. He sighed, “How do you know his name again?” 

“Piper sent it out in the groupchat, along with a link to his Facebook. We all friended him, didn’t you know?” 

Nico’s blood ran cold and his hand froze where it had been running up and down her arm. Was...was that why she wanted to know his name? “You….didn’t. Gods please, Hazel, you didn’t.” 

“He’s a very respectable young man, Nico.” Hazel pulled away, giving him a serious look. Gods, was she even trying to hide the humor dancing there? “Hades approves.” 

Now _ that -  _

“You didn’t,” He words were a near gasp, “Hazel, please tell me you _ didn’t.”  _

“Of course I didn’t,” She corrected him, her voice kind. Nico went weak in relief, until - “He’s in the groupchat. He found out when Piper sent the text to the rest of us.” 

_ “Why is our father in the groupchat,”  _ Nico pulled away, hissing. “Why.” 

Hazel blinked confused at him. “He’s been in the groupchat for three months now. Do you really check it so rarely? He always sends wholesome memes about loving his kids. They make Jason cry.” 

“Of course,” He muttered, because he really should have guessed. Was that why Jason had printed out so many photos of a blurred blue button and taped it around the shop? 

Hazel gave him an amused look, tucking her feet under his leg. “So? Are you gonna tell me about him?” 

Maybe Nico should just make one of Leo’s powerpoints so he’d stop having to have this conversation. Fuck. They’d probably love that. 

“You’re Facebook friends, don’t you know everything?” Nico wasn’t even Facebook friends with him. Wait. Should Nico Friend him? Was it weird at this point, after all, Nico’s friends had done it first? Why hadn’t Will Friended him instead? Did that mean he wasn’t interested then? 

Hazel flicked the side of his head, bringing his attention back to her. “Stop overthinking,” She told him, “Piper mentioned it would be funny if you found out on your own. He agreed.” 

Of course she could follow his mind. 

“And,” she continued, “it’s different, hearing it from you. So?” 

Nico met her gaze, kind and expectant and open. 

“He’s…” Nico blew hair up into his messy bangs, “He’s funny.” 

Hazel grinned, “And?” 

“And…” Nico bit his lip, “I like him.” 

Hazel let go of her breath like he’d told her a million details, overwhelmed. “Oh, Nico.” She clenched his hand between hers. “I’m _so_ happy for you.” 

“It’s not anything yet,” He muttered, but allowed it. “He just comes by and eats pie after his shifts and we talk. That’s it.” 

“But that’s a lot for you,” She told him, kind. “I’m so happy you’re letting someone in.” 

“The only ‘letting him in’ is to my shop late at night,” He told her, rolling his eyes with good nature. 

Hazel’s soft smile turned a bit wicked, and that always brought dread to his chest. “Is that a euphemism?” 

_ “Oh my god -”  _ Nico shoved her away, grinning despite himself. “Shut  _ up.”  _

At the shove, her eyes lit up past the exhaustion. Fuck. He _ knew  _ that look. 

In an instant, she pounced on him, her fist rubbing a noogie into his head. He laughed and attempted to pull away despite her firm hold. Fine. He’d stoop down to her level. No problem with that. 

She instantly burst into laughter at his hands under her arms, tickling, and undid her headlock. Batting his hands away, her legs came up to kick at him while he tried to avoid a foot to the face. She may have gone in for another retaliation, but paused momentarily and looked instead to the hall, where heavy, shuffling footsteps were approaching. 

Frank dipped his head around the corner, wincing at the light. They both froze mid-position, Nico’s hand pressed firmly into Hazel’s cheeks, Hazel’s foot pushing firmly into his gut. 

“Hey Frank,” Nico greeted him as he wasn’t bodily shoving his girlfriend in a couch cushion. “Sleep well?” 

“I was,” He ran his hand over his face, his voice rough. “Until a pair of loudmouthed siblings started yelling about pie boy.” 

Nico gave Hazel a questioning look, his hand still on her face. “Pie boy?” 

“We had to call him something before we knew his name,” She told him, her words distorted from his hand. Finally, he pulled away. Thankfully, she did too. “Pie boy stuck.” 

“If anything, _I’m_ pie boy,” Nico claimed. He did make the pie, after all. 

“Don’t worry, you have a nickname too.” Hazel stood, bringing a blanket with her, wrapped as a hood around her head. 

“Oh?” 

“Oblivious idiot,” Hazel called out as she hid behind Frank, who had a sleepy grin in place despite his drooping eyes. “O.I. for short when we’re making plans.” 

“Oh, you’re gonna get it for that,” Nico grinned, struggling to not get caught on a stray blanket. “Oblivious idiot, huh?” 

"If you can catch me. Frank’s on  _ my _ side,” She said, now on his back, her legs wrapped around his waist. “You’ll never get me while he stands.” 

“Is he?” Nico cocked his head to the side, giving Frank a look. “Are you?” 

Frank got a steady hold on Hazel’s ankles as he gave it a moment of thought. “Actually,” he started, winking at Nico. “I don’t think I am.”

_"Wait -"_ Hazel could barely get out before Nico was there, tickling once again as Frank locked her in place on his back. Thank the gods Nico's apartment was soundproofed from the diner below. 

Hazel eventually broke free, probably from Frank's loosening grip on her ankles as he heaved with laughter, and threw herself to the ground before stumbling off to the direction of Nico's bedroom. After a few moments, the door audibly clicked as the lock shifted into place. From behind the door, cackling laughter. 

He and Frank shared a long look. Hazel would no doubt be locking herself in there for the rest of the night before waking up at some outrageous hour and demanding breakfast. Hell, she'd revel in doing so. 

Frank shrugged after a few moments, "Got room on the pull-out?" 

Nico sighed, but was amused with everything nonetheless. "The sheets are in the hall closet." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi for 90% of my fics i base hazel/nico off my older brother and i. kudus if you can guess who's who.  
> i!!! love!!!! family!!!!!!!!! i love hades in the groupchat. i love that he loves memes.  
> guess what the blue button meme says that jason printed out, i welcome what you can think of  
> hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!!! the end is near but it would be closer if I DIDNT KEEP CHANGING THE CHAPTER NUMBER ASFKLGHAGKFJD  
> follow me at rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com!!! <3 enjoy these christmas vibes!


	5. chocolate chip cookies

“Aw, you guys make  _ such  _ a cute couple.” 

Nico lifted his head from where it was tucked under Frank’s arm, a glare already in place. It was a talent, really. Glaring on command with so little information. Well. He had  _ some _ information, the main fact being the other girl actually  _ in _ his apartment, waking him much too early, and that was enough for the glare. 

“My Instagram followers will  _ love _ this,” She announced, angeling her phone just so. Hazel, always helpful, flipped on the room light so she could get a better photo. Piper gave her a grateful nod.

Before Nico could flip off the camera or hide under the blankets, Frank made a few low noises of waking up and blinked his eyes open. Good. His rational streak would definitely kick in. He was an up-and-coming med student, there was no way he'd allow being photographed half-asleep wrapped around another man. 

But of course instead, because nothing good could ever happen to Nico, at the sight of Piper's posed phone, Frank only gave the camera a tired grin and pulled Nico impossibly closer. 

“What are you even doing here,” Nico muttered as the flash went off. “You’re not working today.” 

“True,” Piper told him, pocketing her phone. “But Hazel told the groupchat you were here and Jason insisted we come over for bunch in case sibling bonding was happening.” 

“Wait,” Nico sat up, pulling off Frank’s sleepy but insistent arm. “‘We’?” 

“We brought bagels!” Leo grinned as he kicked open the door, his arms full with a heavy brown paper box. “And none of that shitty Dunkin Doughnuts stuff, we brought homemade, bitches.” 

“You…” Nico blinked back at the scene, wishing he was surprised. “You let Leo into my home?” 

“Oh, please,” Piper gave him an amused, dangerous look. “We all know Leo’s been here before. He does tell us everything, you know. Even stuff that happened before we started dating.” 

“Oh my god,” He muttered, his head dropping into his hands. He had been young and foolish, okay? And the last time had definitely been more than like...a year ago. Probably. He didn’t keep track, it was in the past. 

Leo went directly into the kitchen, flipping on all the lights as he did so. “The toaster’s in the bottom cabinet!” He yelled out to Hazel as he dropped the box on the counter. Fuck. Nico wishes he moved it since then just so it could be wrong. “Neeks, you still got that nice zucchini butter?” 

Piper was smirking at him, even as he sat up from the pull-out and rolled the tightness out of his shoulders. “In the side compartment in the fridge. There’s some fresh apple butter too.” 

_Neeks,_ Piper mouthed to him, looking tempted to point it out loudly. Thankfully, before she could draw more attention to it, the door edged open for the final time (hopefully) and Jason stood grinning in the doorway. 

Nico gave him a look, leaning against the wall for a moment, “Where have you been? Your girlfriend has been terrorizing poor Frank and I and Leo’s in my kitchen, which is never a good thing.” 

Jason gave him a grin even as he leaned around Piper to kiss her forehead, two styrofoam boxes balanced in one hand. “I fried up some bacon and sausage downstairs,” he took the smaller box, usually for single slices of pie to go, and passed it over to Piper’s waiting hands. “And some fried tomatoes, of course, seasoned how you like and cooked first.” 

Piper pressed a grateful kiss to the corner of his mouth before turning with her box towards the noise in the kitchen. From Leo and Hazel’s low giggling, trouble was brewing. 

God. Who knew an art major and an arsonist baker could make so much trouble? Surely not any of them when their tentative friendship had started up oh-so-long ago. 

Jason gave him and Frank both a small quirked smile, opening the takeout box for them to see. He offered them the open box, the strips of meat still smoking beautifully. Nico gave him a suspicious look, peering down further. Gods, he even heavily burnt a few strips, just like Nico liked it. Frank, at his side, made a pleased sound. 

Nico took one of burnt strips, nodding in approval, before going to the kitchen as Jason and Frank started speaking lowly. He  _ would  _ be preventing any scorch marks on the backsplash this time, there was no fight about it. 

Piper was already setting the table in the dining room, paying no attention to the chaos happening behind her. Or maybe she was ignoring it. Gods know she had to keep her leftover sanity somehow. 

Guess it was his job to investigate. 

“What are you doing,” Nico didn’t even have to fake his tired voice, just rubbing a hand over his face to join it. “What. Are. You. Doing.” 

“French toast bagels,” Leo answered promptly, “you’re running low on brown sugar, by the way.” 

“Thanks,” he said absentmindedly, focusing solely on how high Leo had the flame trained. There was no  _ need _ for maximum heat to make cinnamon bread. Of course, if he pointed that out, Leo would probably, like, set the bread itself on fire to prove how needed the heat was. They had been friends for much too long. 

“Leave them alone, di Angelo.” Piper took his shoulders from behind and steered him towards the dining room, where Jason and Frank were finishing laying out most of the food. The fried meat and tomatoes Jason had done was already there, along with a few half-full jugs of juice from Nico’s fridge and a plastic bowl of cut-up fruit that Piper must have brought in. Leo and Hazel were still working on toasting, and apparently frying, the bagels, but small bowls of toppings joined the rest of the table. 

Hazel and Leo joined them after a few minutes, beaming around a tray of steaming bagel halves, everyone else already seated. Frank was already pouring out cups of juice and milk, much too pleased to be doing so. 

If he had to be suffering through the company, at least he had food. 

“Everyone finished their Christmas shopping?” Jason asked after a moment of eating, his eyes too bright. “It’s less than two weeks away!” 

Nico had, thank the gods. Online shopping was a lifesaver. 

“We’ve still got to pick something up for Hades,” Hazel added, looking a little embarrassed as she shared a look with Frank. “He had everything! I never know what to get him. Whatever he wants, he buys himself.” 

There was a stretch of silence as they each thought over ideas and their own gifts. As usual, Nico had bought his father a few vintage records online. They had a good system, but Hazel was right - he _did_ buy himself whatever he desired.

“Maybe get him something he can’t buy,” Nico said, thinking. Hades still had their childhood drawings framed in his office, after all, next to carefully hung pieces worth literal millions. “He loves when you make him stuff.” 

“He’s still wearing that scarf you knitted him a few years ago,” Piper added, “despite how much Persephone says it hurts her eyes.” 

Hazel winced, “It was my first! But yeah, maybe hot pink and green weren’t the best combos.” 

“Uh, that’s the best combo,” Leo, of course, had to argue. Nico had never met someone more ride-or-die for Hazel Levesque, and he was her  _ brother. _ Even Frank had his limitations. 

Hazel gave him a pleased smile, and nearly everyone else at the table rolled their eyes at their relationship. 

“Who’s covering the afternoon shift?” Piper asked, Hazel and Jason briefly immersed in a conversation about their father.

Nico thought of it for a moment, “Mitchell,” he finally remembered, “I’m going in later for the afternoon shift till first night, then Travis is taking over.” 

Piper nodded, satisfied. “I dropped off a batch of doughnuts I made this morning to hold them over till tomorrow. Do we need anything else?” 

Nico thought it over - maybe a few backup pies, if anything - but this time Jason spoke up before he could continue. 

“No shop talk at the breakfast table,” He announced, reminding them of the longstanding rule. Persephone had put it into place years ago for their father when they were teens, but she still insisted they upkeep it. “We can talk about that afterward. Now is the time to talk about ourselves.” Nico was already groaning, even as Jason turned his bright grin on him. “Nico? Do you want to share?” 

“No,” He tried, taking a huge bite of his bagel. Maybe if he chewed forever, he wouldn’t have to talk.  

That never worked, as Jason just waited patiently. 

“Hazel told us you talked about Will a bit,” Jason prompted, earning Hazel a death-glare from Nico himself. “Why don’t we start from there?” 

“If I wanted everyone to know, I’d announce it in the groupchat,” He muttered, taking an aggressive bite of his food. 

At that, Jason’s face dropped. Fuck. If he didn’t fix that within the next minute, Piper and Leo would have no reservations about murdering him in his own home. 

Nico sighed long and loudly. He dropped his face into his elbow. “Why are you all so nosy? Can’t you just stalk his Facebook like I know you already have?” 

“He doesn’t post much on Facebook, actually.” Piper chimed in, “He’s most active on Snapchat out of everything.”

“Why do you know that,” He breathed out. How was he supposed to face Will next? There was no way Will hadn’t already guessed everything. He was smart - all of Nico’s friends and family members stalking him online could only mean one thing. 

Jason was still making sad eyes, so Nico had to sigh and sit up before Piper threw a fork into his neck. He wouldn't put it past her, after knowing her so long.

“Nothing’s really happened with us yet,” Nico began, already knowing how they would be reacting to ‘yet’ and spoke over it easily. “So I haven’t really seen a reason to share anything. He’s just someone I’m interested in.” 

“I tell you everything,” Jason pointed out, something like a pout almost in this voice. “I told you _ all  _ about Piper and Leo when it was happening!” 

“I know you did,” Nico sighed, “thanks for that by the way. That’s exactly how I want to see my older brother.” 

Jason beamed like he always did when they referred to him at that, nearly emotional. Good. At least that would keep any cutlery from his major organs. 

“I hate you all,” He muttered into the table, praying for a topic change. “Get out of my house.” 

“Aw,” Jason rubbed Nico’s back happily. Nico tried not to lean into the touch. “That’s how he says he loves us.” 

“Love you too, hot stuff!” Leo yelled back, and Nico wanted to melt into the floorboards. He’d been installing new locks at the earliest convenience, he decided.  

...But definitely  _ after _ he finished this bagel. 

* * *

“It’s one week until Christmas,” Nico muttered into a stack of the menus, even as Hazel poked his head with a metal spoon. “And I have _no_ pie ideas. I might as well forfeit in the groupchat right now.” 

This wasn’t a surprise to the other girl - Nico had been lamenting about that fact for the past few hours, at least - but she still gave him a noise of sympathy. She was good like that. 

“Have you checked your recipe book?” She went back to folding napkins into small cranes, “You usually get some ideas from there.” 

“Already did,” He muttered into the plastic, “I’ve got a few backups, but nothing remarkable.” 

Hazel hummed, a crumple of paper following much too close. He opened one eye, peering at her in suspicion, and he watched her balance a paper crane on his hunched over shoulder. She’d been hanging around the shop the past few days, as she usually did when she was on break from school. Maybe he could finally get around to showing her some simple recipes, just so she wouldn’t be an embarrassment to the family name. 

“Your life is absolutely horrible,” She told him conversationally, shaking her head. “No pie recipe, no pie boy. How do you go on?” 

Okay, his dramatics weren’t  _ that _ bad. 

He huffed, shaking the paper figure off so it fell to the counter, and stood. “Okay, I get it, I’ll stop wallowing in misery." He thought for a moment, mentally taking stock of the dessert case. "But, as a compromise, I'm gonna teach you how to bake something." 

Hazel jumped off the seat, beaming even as a handful of paper animals fell to the ground. “I’m gonna totally burn your kitchen down!” 

Nico only scoffed, heading her behind the counter, taking his time as she quickly scooped up the paper and dropped them at the nearest empty table. “Admirable goal, but you're going on as if Leo’s presence hadn’t forced me to completely fireproof the entire diner already.” 

Hazel only hummed sweetly, following him. “We’ll see!” 

He nodded towards Mitchell as he went into the back - they only had one or two customers during the slow afternoon, and Connor would be arriving any minute for the start of his shift so they should be fine to handle the stop - and dipped behind the doorway. 

Piper was already back there, laser-focused on weaving together strips of dough for her lattice, and barely looked up at their entrance. Her apron was covered in flour, some of it even on her face, but the pie filling was already finished and sitting in a nearby metal bowl. 

Nico peered down into the bowl, nodding. “Apple chocolate. Need any help?” 

“Almost finished,” She muttered, carefully pulling the dough together. That was her least favorite part, but she always insisted on doing it herself. He nodded, backing off, and took the back table, setting up the equipment and ingredients. He tossed Leo’s spare apron towards his sister and waited until she was ready. 

“So, what are we making?” Hazel kept messing with her apron like the unfamiliarness of it all was throwing her off. Hell, she wore an apron when she painted, this should be  _ nothing. _

Nico rubbed at one of his temples for a quick, brief moment. “Something simple,” he began, “something that no one can really truly mess up as long as they pay attention and follow the direction, do you understand?” 

Hazel gave him an amused look, crossing her arms. “I won’t promise anything, but let’s see how it goes. What’s the plan?” 

“Something simple. Something easy.” He dropped the recipe book between them, the page already open. “Chocolate chip cookies.” 

* * *

“Oh, cookies.” Will grinned, already taking one from the tray Nico had just set down. “That’s new.” 

“Hazel made them,” Nico told him, proud even hours later. He’d been near tears when the perfectly golden circles emerged from the oven. “All on her own.” 

Will brightened. Nico had told him time and time again of Hazel’s usually hilarious failings in the kitchen. “That’s great! She followed the recipe and everything?” 

“Piper explained a few techniques to make things easier, but she totally did everything else.” Nico would most likely be calling up their father later if he hadn’t already found out. This was a proud moment in the di Angelo-Levesque household. 

Will took another cookie, breaking it in half this time and offering the other to Nico. “She was hanging around the shop today? That’s fun.” 

Nico nodded, taking the half and popping it in his mouth. Not bad at all. “She’s off from school. Usually Frank or Leo will join her, but it was just us for the most part, other than Piper when she wasn’t baking. It was nice.” 

Will hummed, smiling at the image. Then, he sighed.

“Miss your sisters?” Nico guessed, sympathetic. “You’re not going home for Christmas this year, right?” 

Will shook his head, “Couldn’t get the time off. We’re talking about meeting for New Year’s halfway though, so that’s good.”  

“You can borrow my siblings whenever,” Nico offered, a grin in place. “I love them more than anything, but sometimes I just want to lock them in a room and give myself a  _ break.”  _

Will hummed again, this time sounding more amused. “I mean, I feel like I’m already apart of the family, considering how I recently got a handful of new Friends and followers.” Nico froze at the words, even as Will continued. “Your father posts a lot of memes. I was thinking it was a mistake when he kept tagging me in them, but Jason reassured me that’s just how he is.” 

Fuck. Nico needed to get back online and see what the  _ hell _ his father was doing. 

“Oh my god,” His head dropped into his arms, his voice horrified, “I’m  _ so _ sorry.” 

Will laughed at that, “It’s hilarious, don’t apologize.” He snorted, taking a quick sip of his coffee. It was so incredibly unfair how attractive someone could be in post-shift scrubs. “I’m surprised Lou and Cecil haven’t tracked you down yet,” Will grinned, “they’ve already groaned about your lack of an online presence.”

Nico paused at that, “Oh?” 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure their next plan is to get in contact with one of your friends and start an information trade. Hope that doesn’t scare you away - they’re dedicated.” 

“That’s good to know,” He would  _ absolutely  _ be banning said trade the moment he talked to his friends next.

Despite what Nico was immediately planning to do, Will took an expression of thought as he reached for another cookie. “From what I’ve seen, they’d definitely get along.” There was laughter in his eyes as he turned back to Nico, “We’ll have to be careful.” 

He...wasn’t really prepared for this route of conversation. “It doesn’t, I don’t know, creep you out?” 

“I think it’s sweet,” Will told him, resting his chin in his hand. “And I think it’s a little cute.” 

Nico cleared his throat, keeping his composure. Mentally, he was screaming. “Just a little?” 

Will raised his eyebrows, “I can’t just be charmed by overprotective family, you know. You’ve got to put in some work too to boost this cuteness level.” 

How the  _ fuck  _ was he supposed to respond to that. 

“I’ll….do that, then.” He finally decided on, feeling warm and excited and nervous all at once. 

Will took another bite of his cookie, smiling around it as he did. “Good luck.”

Nico was  _ screwed.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the first time in foreverrrrrrrrr.....i didnt have to update the chapter count when i posted. LAST CHAPTER IS NEXT Y'ALL IT'S CHRISTMAS IN JULY  
> thanks for reading!!!! <3 your comments and enthusiasm over this story seriously mean so much to me! also unrelated i would die for jason/leo/piper  
> .....lowkey i understand why people ship leo/nico now. i get it. i support it. thrive.  
> follow me at rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com!


	6. peppermint brownie with chocolate glaze

He stared down at the pie, frowning. It would have to do, apparently. 

It wasn’t like the backup competition pie wasn’t  _ good _ , it was good. But something still nagged at him that kept himself from being fully satisfied with it. Not winning material, but still respectable enough. He sighed, sliding it in the freezer for safe keeping. There wasn’t much he could do at this point. There was still a few hours until they met at the family home, but with no plan for another recipe, it was as good as it was gonna get. 

They were opened for only a few hours today, mostly for pie orders to be picked up for holiday dinners, but they’d also had a handful of actual customers looking for a quick breakfast. He was managing the diner by himself, perfectly fine considering the slow hours, but he was still a bit surprised by the low bell signaling a customer only an hour before close. Dropping his dish towel on the counter, he grabbed his order pad and made his way through to the front. 

Where he immediately broke out into a grin.

“Hey,” Nico bit down on his lips to keep it from fully emerging. Will, who had been standing in the doorway as if a bit unsure with an emptied shop, copied his action and beelined for the counter seats instead of his usual booth. 

“Hey,” Will echoed, dropping onto the seat. “Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas.” Nico gave him a small, half-smile as he wiped down the counter. “We’ve got short hours today. I wasn’t sure if you’d show up.”

“I noticed,” Will gave him a small smile, jamming his thumb over his shoulder towards the sign Nico had taped to the door informing of the hour change. “You had it up last time I came in. I had to beg Lou to switch shifts so I could make it.” 

He...what? 

Nico cocked his head to the side, “You switched shifts?” 

Will nodded, “Yeah, the shop’s closed for the usual midnight hours, right? I wanted to make it in.” 

Nico couldn’t be imaging the low blush on Will’s cheeks, could he? 

Will reworked his schedule just so he could stop by and talk to Nico? On Christmas?

This...might just change everything. Maybe. I mean, who did that just because they liked the pie? He always could have gotten one earlier to go. This could mean something.

Nico shook himself out of it, throwing himself back into the conversation. He grasped onto the first topic he could find, “So, um, you worked today? How was that?” 

Will could totally see what he was doing but allowed it with only a small twinkle of his eye. “Despite my best hopes, people don’t stop needing medical attention despite the date.” He sighed and looked truly pained by the fact. “It was super busy. Cooking mishaps, accidents from the icy roads, a few fights. The usual holiday chaos.” 

Nico cracked a smile at that. “Sorry to hear.” Nico glanced over his shoulder, “Hold up. I’ll be right back.”

Will waved him off, his head falling back into his folded arms. Nico jumped behind the counter, pulling the untouched pie from the display case and plating a slice à la mode quickly. Despite Piper's raised eyebrow as he did so, he prepared the pie during yesterday's shift just in case. He grabbed a cup of coffee, adding a bit of sugar and milk just as Will took it, and placed both on the counter in front of him.

Will lifted his head at the sound of the plate hitting the table, blinking a few times to wake himself up, before he focused on the food in front of him.

“You...made apple pie.” Will stared at the plate with wide eyes, “You made apple pie for Christmas.”

Nico rubbed the back of his head, suddenly embarrassed. “Yeah, uh, when we met you mentioned your mom used to make it. I remembered this really good recipe my sister used to bake and I thought you’d like it, and yeah.”

Will stared at him for another long moment before a smile broke out across his face. “I – thank you.”

Nico shrugged, suddenly coy, and gestured towards the plate. “Try it. I experimented with the recipe a bit.”

Will ducked his head but did as told, taking a slow bite and shaking his head. He rolled his eyes back and groaned in pure bliss, chewing slowly. “You can’t go wrong with apple pie.” Will told him, taking another slow bite of the pie. "This is amazing, Nico. One of your best I've had." 

Nico paused at his first comment, his hand dropping back down to his side. 

“You can’t go wrong with apple pie.” He repeated, processing the words. It was like everything suddenly opened up. Of course. Of  _course._

Will blinked at his own repeated words, “No you can’t.” He nodded, although confused.

Nico nodded quickly, reaching under the counter, cracking open the binder and leafing through it frantically. He found her recipe - the laminated paper a bit sticky and stained from over the years - and read through her messy handwriting quickly. He hadn’t even considered it. They usually made it as a Fall specialty, something when the apples would be at their peak, but never in the winter. Never for Christmas.

But it was delicious. It was a balance of flavors and texture, it was a classic, and it was something Nico loved to make. 

“I have an idea,” Nico breathed out, Will still staring on curiously throughout the ordeal, taking slow bites. “For the competition. I have a pie.” 

“Oh,” Even Will looked surprised at that before perking up. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go make it!” 

Nico nodded in agreement - he would be cutting it extremely close, especially with the toppings - and scooped the recipe book off the counter. Just as he was about to turn back into the kitchen, he paused. He considered, biting his lip. 

It was always going to be this way, wasn’t it? 

He let himself take a single breath before asking, “What are you doing today?”

Will shrugged. “Nothing really. I might go over to friends tomorrow, but I don’t really have any plans today.” He cocked his head to the side, “Why do you ask?” 

Nico nodded, absorbing the words and clenching the book tighter to his chest. “Hey, uh.” He paused, hesitating a bit. “Do you want to go to my family’s Christmas? There’ll be pie.”

Without a beat of pause, Will responded. “Yes,” Will was grinning, “I was wondering if you were gonna ask. Hades has been alluding to it on Facebook for a week now.” 

“Of course he has,” Nico muttered, his heart still thudding in his chest from Will’s easy agreement. 

“I’ll need to change,” Will gestured down to post-shift scrubs. “Give me an hour?” 

“I’ll give you two,” Nico answered back, reading through the prep time and bake time on the pie. “I need to bake this as soon as possible, go upstairs and change, and then we can go. Meet me back here?” 

Will, who had finished his slice of pie as Nico spoke, nodded and tossed back the rest of his coffee. “Can do,” He paused as he pushed himself off the stool, his eyes twinkling. “See you then?” 

“See you then,” Nico echoed, his cheeks coloring. “Prepare yourself for my family. They’ll...be excited to meet you.” 

Will hummed and, just as Nico was beginning to turn back into the kitchen, he called out Nico’s name. 

Nico spun around, curious, only for Will to be much closer than he remembered. 

“I’m excited to meet them too,” Will told him, a wide grin in place. “But we should clear something up really quick - what am I being introduced as?” 

Nico swallowed, his eyes wide. “Um.” 

“Your friend?” With how Will was leaning in, he wasn’t satisfied with that option. “Or something else?” 

“Um,” Nico tried again, “my...good friend?” 

Will huffed out a small laugh, still much too close for Nico to coherently think. Was he ever going to stop leaning in? 

“How about,” He could feel Will’s breath on his lips now, “boyfriends? I feel like we’ve been dancing around each other long enough. I can only afford so much pie, you know.” 

“Boyfriends,” Nico repeated, his eyes fluttered shut as Will’s did the same, “I could agree with that.” 

Which was good, considering how not even a second after that their lips were finally pressed together. Will’s were still slightly sticky from the pie, and tasted like the sugar and cream he took in his coffee. There was warmth and sweetness and just the slightest of suggestive pressure for _ more _ , and it was everything in a single movement. 

Nico pulled away first - he had to breathe for gods sake, and with Will slowly leaning in ahead of time he was already breathless going in, and stared wide-eyed at the other boy. 

“Boyfriends,” he repeated. “Wow.” 

Will tried to look unaffected, but his chest was slightly heaving, and the blush coloring his skin was delicious. “Wow,” he repeated, probably not trying to seem as breathless as he was. “That’s sure one Christmas present.” 

Nico huffed out a small laugh, his hand itching up to trace his lips. He could do that later. 

Which - later. 

He glanced towards the clock, wishing he could freeze it if only for a few more moments. “I...have to bake.” 

“And I have to get ready,” Will said in turn, just as much regret in his voice. They stared at each other for a quick moment before breaking into small laughter. 

“I’ll be back,” Will promised, “two hours.” 

Nico couldn’t think of anything to say, only nodding back. Will gave him one last lingering look, his cheeks still lingering color, before dipping back through the doors. 

Fuck. How was he supposed to bake like this? 

He took a breath, turning back into his kitchen. He’d have to work through it. He had a pie to make, after all. 

* * *

Will had arrived two hours later on the dot, dressed in something different from his hospital scrubs for once. His navy sweater paired nicely with Nico’s charcoal one, so much so that Nico had to wonder if Hazel planned it, considering she was the one who had gifted him the sweater a week ago. 

He dismissed the thought, mostly because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer, and took his newly finished pie. Will peered down at it in interest, making a few comments, but followed Nico as he locked up the shop behind him and lead him towards his car. 

Nico drove, of course, while Will carefully balanced the brown paper box in his lap. It wasn’t too long of a drive, thankfully, and conversation was always easy with the other boy, even if Nico was a tad bit nervous for the competition. Leo and Piper had been teasing their recipes all week, but even with Piper’s few contacts at Reyna’s favorite grocery store none of them had any idea what to expect from the other girl. 

Will must have noticed this, because he kept up low and soft conversation and comments for most of the drive, only going quiet as they pulled up to his father’s estate. Nico understood - he’d been equally as impressed the first time he came upon the property. Parking the car, they made their way inside easily enough. 

Will was still carrying the pie in the box, so Nico quickly took it out - trashing the box - and walked towards the dining room where the rest of them would be set up. They had arrived just on time for Nico - around half an hour late - so the rest of them were most likely already settled in the living room.

Each of their pies was wrapped in identical aluminum foil, carried and dropped off in the dining room first thing. Each of them was competitive and paranoid enough to suspect favoritism when it came to these things, which meant no one was taking chances.

Nico did the same with his pie, carefully wrapped in the silver foil, and placed it on the table. Will, peeking over his shoulder, grinned at him in excitement as laughter sounded from the other room. Somewhere on the way, Will’s hand found its way into Nico’s. 

“Get ready,” He muttered, clenching at Will’s warm hand in his. “Unless, I mean, you can always still escape. It’s too late for me, but you still have a chance.” 

Will shot him an amused look, leading them both towards the noise. “Don’t be ridiculous. After all, it feels like we already all know each other.” 

“That’s horrible,” he muttered. Nico was never bringing another guy home. Will would have to make it or else Nico was dying was lonely and secluded. He stepped ahead of Will and lead them to the correct room. 

Now, while Hades and Persephone tasted the pies in the dining room, they were allowed to discuss their recipes with each other, as tradition. As they arrived, the noise in the room went to nearly silent. He quickly introduced Will to the group, half knowing it was in no way needed, also half knowing that he would be bombarded with questions nonetheless.

“This is my boyfriend,” He said frankly, watching them each hold down a scream in response. Except for Frank and Reyna, of course. They were his favorites. “You all apparently know Will already, so no questions and no ambushing him in the hall and interrogating him.” 

Even Piper looked a tad bit guilty at that reminder, but they all nodded. 

Hazel was the first to stand to shake his hand, Jason following. 

“These are my siblings,” Nico waved to them, “you already know that because everyone I know is weird as hell, but it’d be weirder not to somewhat introduce everyone. So. Hazel and Jason, meet Will.” 

Jason grinned widely as he pulled Will into a hug instead, patting his back as he pulled away. 

“I’m so glad you could make it, Will.” Jason shared a look of joy with Hazel, “We weren’t sure when you said you had to work, but I’m so glad it all worked out!” 

Nico didn’t even  _ want  _ to deal with that right now, instead pulling Will along to the others. Apparently, they’ve already had enough contact with the other boy. “And this is the rest of everyone. Leo, Piper, Frank, and Reyna.” He thought it over, “Reyna’s the only one I have to introduce to, actually.”

Will shook each of their hands, everyone speaking over each other as their words blurred together with excitement, until the chatter had Nico rolling his eyes. 

“We just dropped off my pie at the table,” Nico spoke over the noise and pulled Will onto the couch with him. Easily, as if they’d done it a thousand times, Will arm’s settled nicely on the couch over Nico’s shoulders and Nico easily leaned into his side. Their hands were still tangled together on their laps. 

At the sight, his friends looked nearly ready to burst. Thankfully, one of them took the conversational bait about the competition. 

“Hades and Persephone will be starting the taste-testing soon, then,” Reyna began easily, earning a grateful look from Nico as the others perked to attention at her words. Good. The attention was off of them for a moment. 

Piper grinned, jumping into the conversation. “I _ finally  _ mastered my peppermint brownie pie. The chocolate glaze was hard to work with, but worth it.” She nodded towards Jason, “I made him try every single one until it was perfect.”

“It was  _ amazing _ .” Jason grinned, a bit in awe.

“I already have my charity picked out.” Piper told him smugly, “Get ready to  _ lose.” _

“You’ll have nothing on my famous Leo’s Spicy Seven-Chile Hot Chocolate Pie.” Leo declared crossing his arms, looking pleased. He always seemed pleased with his creations, despite hardly winning. Last year, he proudly told them of how his mint rum chocolate pie could put hair on any chest. Like that was…an accomplishment.

“Nico?” Piper questioned, still eyeing Will a bit.

“Cinnamon Roll Dutch Apple Pie,” Nico answered shortly, giving her a small, slightly proud look. Will perked up at that, his plain happiness nearly matching the constant joy that radiated off Hazel.

Piper nodded, although looked a bit impressed. “Cool, but wrong holiday, di Angelo. Apple pie is for the Fourth.”

Nico shrugged, “This family has always been unorthodox. I guess we’ll see.” He shared a quick, teasing look with Will. “After all, you can’t go wrong with apple pie.”

Jason, still boring holes into Will, probably dying inside with the urge to ask both of them a million questions at once, perked up at that. “I love apple pie!”

Leo rolled his eyes, “Okay  _ Captain America. _ Whatever you say.”

There a moment of silence after that, a moment of silence where everyone mentally, and even a bit physically, turned onto the last person for questioning. She’d been suspiciously quiet as they discussed, even for her, the entire time. 

“Reyna?” Hazel’s voice was kind, curious. She had no reason to be anything but after all. She always liked more to taste the competition pies more than anything.

Reyna looked bored, examining her nails. Nico knew that look, slightly feared that look. It was her look of pride, hardly subtle and laced with thick nonchalance.

“Oh, just something I found in an old recipe book of my mother’s,” Reyna told them, her voice dull as the rest of them seized up. Her mother’s recipe book was – notoriously – dangerous. “Just a simple Cherry Pie.”

There was a twin moment of pause as they all processed that. “Cherry Pie?” Nico questioned, his voice unsure.

She nodded, still incredibly invested in her nails. “Oh yes. I do enjoy going back to my simple roots occasionally, you all know this.”

Nico nodded, a bit unbelieving. This was the  _ competition _ they were talking about. The same competition Reyna had thrown a knife at Leo during last year. A cheese knife, but still. The same competition that nearly always ended with waterworks or blood being spilled, or, at the very least, severed friendships for a few weeks.

The very same one Reyna is now claiming to have basically thrown.

“Oh!” She snapped her fingers and they all tensed. “I forgot something. A simple Cherry Pie, yes, served….what was it? Oh.” She grinned now, “Flambé.”

There was a long moment of silence spent mostly processing by each of them. Nico swallowed, unbelieving, and stared at her. Will, at his side and glancing at him in confusion, almost spoke up.

“It’s served what?” Jason loudly whispered to Leo, who was nearly shaking with excitement.

“You lit the pie on fire?” Leo seemed overjoyed, almost proud, of this fact.

“Oh, no.” Her face was the picture of innocence. “I left instructions.”

On perfect, wonderful cue, there was a sound of awe from the dining room. Probably, from what Nico is guessing, the pie being lit on fire. She smirked, the faint sound of their awe still lingering in the air.

Damn, Nico wished he knew how she did that.

Piper looked destroyed, falling back into her chair. “I already had my charity picked out.” She said mournfully. “It was going to be wonderful.”

Leo was now staring at Reyna like he’d never seen her before, in awe and...something else. 

“I’m so gay,” he breathed out after a few moments, “but I am so attracted to you right now.” 

Reyna gave him a smug look like nothing pleased her more. “I do hope the crust caramelizes just so. Flames can be so unpredictable.” 

Piper dropped his face into her hands, leaning heavily into Jason’s side. “I lost. I totally thought I had it.” 

Jason looked sympathetic, rubbing a hand over her back. Leo was on his other side, nowhere near as desolate but instead still looking completely impressed by Reyna’s work. 

_ “Setting it on fire,” _ He kept muttering, “Brillant. Next year, Valdez.” 

“Please don’t,” Nico near begged. Gods know his kitchen would be Leo’s testing ground. “Please. _ Don’t _ .” 

Leo’s eyes were manic in what could only be hazy ideas. He made a mental note to buy another fire extinguisher - he already knew having only three in the diner kitchen alone was pushing it with the other boy. 

Piper continued to lament as Hazel and Frank listening on with amusement, while Jason attempted to talk Leo down from one of his more out-there plans. Good, considering fireworks had _no place in baked food,_ despite what Leo was claiming would enhance the presentation. Reyna, who had been perched on a barstool as they walked in, took the empty couch cushion to Nico’s right. 

She gave Will a single nod in greeting - basically enthusiasm from the other girl - before turning on Nico. “Apple pie?” 

“It’s a classic,” He told her, shrugging. Will’s hand squeezed at his own. She could definitely tell there was more to it, but accepted his answer and leaned back into the couch. 

“How’s Hylla?” Reyna usually visited her sister on Christmas Eve. “Good trip?” 

“It went well,” She only said, which probably meant at least no one was maimed. Which, from his experience due to the year Nico tagged along to her family function, would be an improvement. “She enjoyed the treats you passed on.” 

Nico nodded. He had sent a box of some of their most popular holiday desserts for the other girl. “Good. And the lemon squares?” 

“Gone before I even left,” A smile pulled at the corner of her lips, “I admit, there was a small squabble over the last one.” 

God. Maybe Nico had been wrong about the whole ‘no maiming’ thing. 

Reyna then glanced to Will, evidently done with speaking of her own family. “William, is it?” 

“Everyone just calls me Will,” Will gave her a wide grin, “Nice to meet you. Nico talks about you a lot, all good things.” 

Reyna hummed, “Good to know, William.” 

Nico had to suppress a laugh. Reyna would deny it forever, but she loved fucking with the newer people in their friend groups. She and Leo nearly physically fought the first time they’d met, much to the horror of Jason, the laughter of Piper. 

Nico didn’t understand Spanish, and to this day both of them refused to inform the rest of them what had been exchanged, but that had been a tense, and hilarious, family dinner. 

Nico was slightly interested to see how Will was going to respond to that, but it looked like he wouldn’t get to see, as the living room door flung open - in the most dramatic way possible, of course, and Hades and Persephone stood there, apparently finished with their taste testing. 

Moment of truth. 

Reyna stood, her chin angled at a proud and determined degree. The rest of them followed her motion as Hades and Persephone shared a look. Hades was the first to speak. 

“I know you’re all waiting to know who won,” he began, still looking to his wife. “But the winner doesn’t matter, does it?” Hades put his hands on his chest, clenching at his heart. “We’re all winners when we’re with our family. Doesn’t that matter?” 

Jason looked nearly teary. Persephone shot them both an amused look. 

“The apple pie won,” She told them shortly, ignoring Hades’s look of scandal. "The cherry pie was an impressive display, and the peppermint brownie one was delicious, and of course we saved the chile one for last considering our loss of taste afterward. But the apple pie was beautifully done and equally as tasty. Hades and I couldn't put it down."

Nico immediately broke out into a grin, a burst of joy filling his chest. “Oh my god,” He was laughing now, even as Piper pouted and Leo  _ whooped  _ in excitement. Reyna, meeting his eye, nodded in an approving matter. She was never disappointed by the result, or so it seemed, only accepting the challenge from a better pie. 

Hades and Persephone turned to him, beaming. 

“Son! The apple pie was -” He cut himself off violently half-way through, his eyes going wide. 

Oh, yeah. They hadn’t met Will yet. 

“Yeah,” Nico answered his unfinished question. Hades’s mouth still hung open, and even Persephone looked surprised. “The pie was mine. And this is Will, you’ve seen him around the shop. And apparently online.”

Hades completely ignored the small dig at the end of his sentence, instead stumbling forward to grab for Will’s hand. Will, at Nico’s side, allowed the action with a small smile on his face. 

“Mr. di Angelo,” Will greeted, a charming grin in place. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.” 

“You’re here,” Hades muttered in shock, “You - Nico brought you.” 

“He did,” Will answered politely, his hand still clenched in Hades’s.  “He invited me this morning.” He shot an amused look towards Nico himself, “A bit last minute, I thought, but I’m still flattered to be here.” 

“You’re always welcome in my home,” Hades finally got out before pulling on Will’s clenched hand until he was crushed against Hades’s chest, tightly hugging the other boy. With Will still against his chest, Hades turned to Persephone, “Nico’s brought a boy home!” 

Persephone recovered gracefully from her surprise, as she stepped forward with an amused smile. “He did,” She echoed Will’s earlier statement, “but I’ve also heard it’s good etiquette not to suffocate guests, my love. We wouldn’t want to be rude.” 

Hades, realizing his tight grip, released Will and allowed him at an arm's length. Will looked fine, although his cheeks were a delicate red, his hair slightly mused. 

“Thank you,” Will told Persephone breathlessly, “it’s nice to meet you as well.” 

Persephone somehow managed to pull Will from Hades’s grip, who instead turned to Jason to squeeze him against his chest in exchange. Neither party seemed to find anything wrong with this.

“Welcome to the family, William. We’ve all heard much about you,” Persephone wound her arm through his, leading him away. She shot Nico an amused look, “And congratulations to Nico as well. And good job on winning the challenge as well, child.” 

Nico rolled his eyes, a smile playing on his lips, as he followed Persephone into the parlor, Hazel and Frank following. Reyna, giving Nico an almost amused look, copied Persephone’s movement with Nico’s arm, walking with him. As they followed, Leo and Piper were attempting to persuade Hades into releasing Jason into their capable hands, but from experience that would take awhile to convince. 

Hazel gave him a small secret smile as she caught up to him, bumping her hip into his. She and Frank would be leaving later into the afternoon to visit Frank’s grandmother’s for dinner, but he always enjoyed spending the day with her. She gave him a bright smile, probably congratulating him, before returning back to her boyfriend's side. 

He turned back to Reyna, their arms still hooked together, and gave her a considering look. 

“You’re the only one who didn’t hassase Will on social media." He observed. "You’re my favorite,” Even _Frank_ had Friended him on Facebook. “You’re the only one I can trust.” 

Reyna paused, and wasn’t that suspicious? 

“Of course,” She said very slowly, always a tell. “Yes.” 

Nico turned to her, already dreading it. “What.”

Reyna refused to look to him, “Yes?” 

Nico pushed out a breath of frustration, “What did you do.” 

Finally, Reyna met his eyes. “I didn’t add him on any social media,” she clarified, “that was your worry, yes?” 

Nico had no patience for this. “What did you do then, if you didn’t do that?” 

Reyna’s gaze was almost pitying now. “Nico. You do remember my day job, correct?” 

Of course he - oh. _Oh._

“You -” He pinched his nose his with forefinger and thumb. Will was still talking to Persephone - good. “No.” 

Reyna didn’t even look embarrassed. “I didn’t find him on social media.” 

_ “But you pulled his government file?” _ Nico hissed, “Why do you think that’s better?” 

“If it helps, he’s mostly harmless,” She offered like that helped.

“It doesn’t,” Nico rubbed his temples now. He needed new friends approximately yesterday. And new siblings. And new parents.  

She gave him a look, “Did you seriously think I wasn’t going to check him out? And be so obvious as the others?” 

She was right - he should have guessed she would do  _ something _ . But gods. Not  _ this.  _

“You’re not my favorite anymore,” He muttered, pulling away. Persephone was finally releasing Will onto the empty couch, and Nico had secure plans to beeline towards it starting immediately.

“Nico,” She caught his elbow, giving him a look that said everything.

He sighed, “I know.” He pulled his arm away, pausing. Taking her chance, she leaned and pressed a dry kiss to his cheek, soft and pleasant. 

“He got two speeding tickets within the last year,” she muttered into his ear, hidden humor there. “So be careful when he’s driving. Wear a seatbelt.” 

“I hate you,” He announced loudly, stepping away and turning for the couch. From her low huff of laughter, she in no way believed him. 

“Hey, winner.” Will grinned up at him as he dropped down into Will’s side. “Good job. Can’t go wrong with apple pie, I guess.” 

Piper shot them both a look at that, “I guess,” she muttered, her arms crossed. She was always a sore loser. “I’ll have to taste it to be sure.”  

“Oh,” Hazel clasped her hands together, “Dinner isn’t for another hour, but surely we can try a few bites before?” 

There wasn’t anyone in the house who could deny her, especially on such a holiday, so soon the tins of pie were being brought in, Frank and Jason balancing them all between the two, and forks passed around. 

Nico’s was the first to be tried - as the winner, it was a given - and his chest bubbled up in satisfaction as his friends fawned over their bites. The cinnamon rolls he’d placed in substitute of a crust had glued together nicely, and the brown dusted icing had hardened on top just as he’d hoped. The perfect blend of gooey and texture, sweetness and spice. 

Will smiled at him as he took his bite, his eyes fluttering shut. “My mom always added a ton of cinnamon,” He added softly, “this reminds me of that.” 

Nico gave him a small smile in return, sweetness and soft. 

“I’ll get you something to drink,” he offered, because it was ideally served with a complimenting drink. There was a note in the binder and everything.

“Cider!” Hades called out, because of course he was listening in. 

Nico, amused, gave his father a mock annoyed look. “Does anyone  _ else _ want something to drink?” 

Of course, the rest of them spoke up eagerly, the rest of the pies still being passed around for quick bites. 

“I’ll help,” Piper spoke up, peeling herself off from her place tucked under Jason’s arm. That alone had him mildly surprised, but he still set off towards the kitchen. 

“di Angelo,” Piper called out just as they entered the hallway, lingering in the doorway. She waited till he stopped and turned. “I’ve got one question on credit, right?” 

Nico paused before turning towards her fully. He took a step closer, now nearly at her side. “You do.” 

Piper nodded, already knowing. Her gaze flickered towards the rest of the them - the rest of their family - and Nico followed it. Hazel was taking her first bite of Leo’s pie - untouched by the rest of them so far - while Frank waited nearby with a cup of milk, ready. Leo was watching excitedly from his place on the floor between Jason's legs, gushing facts about the several chile peppers baked in while Reyna listened on with an interested ear. Will, sitting on the couch, looked vaguely ill by the information, but seemed to be enjoying himself so far. Enjoying Nico, and his family, and the pie that came along with it. Hades and Persephone were curled together on a separate couch, probably out-pied and stuffed, and watched it all with a soft smile, content. He met his father’s gaze, and Hades smiled back at him. Holidays used to be so hard on them. 

Piper was at his side now. Apart from his family, he’d known her the longest. 

Her gaze flickered back towards him, warmth there that wasn’t just from the low fire, warm pie. “Do you love him?” 

Nico took a breath, already expecting it. The answer had been on the tip of his tongue long since forever - since every maple pecan slice, since every cup of coffee with half cream and sugar, since the other man had strolled into his store when Piper forgot to lock up. 

“I think so,” Nico finally settled on, “I think I do.” 

Piper grinned at that, luminous, and hung off his arm. “I thought so.” They watched the scene for a few more moments. It was such a perfect moment, but he didn’t wish to live in it. There was so much coming, so much in their futures, that living in the perfect moment was a nearly unbearable thought. 

Piper finally sighed, tightening her grip on his arm. “I’m gonna win so much money in the bet,” She sounded so overwhelmed with joy, “You hopeless romantic, di Angelo. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist the Christmas charm." 

“I hate you,” He informed her in turn, but allowed her to drag him towards the kitchen, the moment not broken but continued. 

They had so much more to do, so much more waiting for them. This was going to be a perfect memory in an even better future. He couldn’t wait. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS DONE!!!!! I FINISHED A WIP!!! THE IMPOSSIBLE WAS DONE!  
> @ rina im so excited for this kung fu panda fic. all the troupes. all the cringe. im so excited.   
> thank you for reading, especially those since the v beginning when i first posted this like, a year ago. this never would have been finished if y'all hadn't loved it as much as you did <3   
> i love friendship and i love family. wow.   
> follow me on tumblr at rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com for more of that good solangelo content <3


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